easier for aid workers to obtain visas to work in Sudan. In 2007, Oxfam's operating budget for Sudan's western region was US$12 million. Expulsion of aid staff in 2009 In March 2009, Sudan expelled several major foreign aid agencies including Oxfam and Save the Children from Darfur in response to the extradition request of Omar al-Bashir to answer ICC charges. President al-Bashir accused foreign aid workers of being "spies" and "thieves". Penny Lawrence, Oxfam's international director, said of the ban "It will affect more than 600,000 Sudanese people whom we provide with vital humanitarian and development aid, including clean water and sanitation on a daily basis." Gordon Brown said in response "The humanitarian agencies that are working in Sudan should be allowed to stay there and continue their work." In April 2009, Oxfam and other aid agencies appealed their ban saying that "The expulsion is already affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of the very poorest and most vulnerable Sudanese people". Oxfam have denied working for the ICC saying that "We don't have an agreement with the ICC, we are a humanitarian organisation and we are impartial," and "We don't have anything to do with the ICC and we don't have a position on its decision." Diplomatic missions The Embassy of Sudan, London is located on Cleveland Row, close to St James's Palace. See also Foreign relations of the United Kingdom Foreign relations of Sudan International response to the War in Darfur References External links British embassy in Khartoum Bilateral relations of the United Kingdom United Kingdom Relations of colonizer and former colony