The Government of Chad has expelled a senior British aid official for attempting to visit refugees of Darfurian extraction who reside in the eastern part of the country.

Mukesh Kapila was the outspoken head of the UN in Sudan when the Darfur conflict began nine years ago.

The action was taken by the Interior Minister of Chad, Abderaman Moussa, who ordered his immediate leave from the country.

Mr Kapila however claims his expulsion was as a result of the Chadian governments close ties to the Sudanese, whom he has accused of genocide.

This was Mr Kapila’s first visit to the region since he was removed from his post in 2004 when – frustrated by his failure to persuade the international community to take action on the unfolding crisis in Darfur – he went public, speaking to the BBC.

2.7 million people have since left their homes since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan’s western region, with the United Nation’s report saying about 300,000 people have died from the ensuing war, hunger and disease.

Some 2.7 million people have fled their homes since the conflict began in Sudan’s arid western region, and the UN says about 300,000 have died – from war, hunger and disease.