Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has ordered the expulsion of 10 foreign aid agencies from the country.
The move comes after an arrest warrant was issued against him by the Hague-based International Criminal Court over alleged atrocities in the western region of Darfur.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has urged the government in Khartoum to reverse its decision.
He described the move as a serious setback which could have a devastating effect on hundreds of thousands of people.
Medicins Sans Frontieres is among the organisations told to leave the region.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, the agency’s Irish director, Ross Duffy, said he was angered by the decision.
He said MSF, which provides medical treatment to some 200,000 people in the region, was summoned to meet with authorities after news of the arrest warrant broke yesterday.
It was told to cease medical operations and leave the country immediately.
‘We are absolutely outraged,’ Mr Duffy said.
‘We have received no explanation for why we were forced to abandon our 200,000 patients. People will die.’
China opposes Sudan war crimes case
China has called for an International Criminal Court case against President Bashir to be suspended.
The reaction is in line with China's long-time support for Mr Bashir's government.
‘China expresses its regretfulness and worry over the arrest warrant for the Sudan president issued by the International Criminal Court,’ foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.
He called on the UN Security Council to ‘respect calls by the African Union, Arab League and Non-Aligned Movement... and urged the International Criminal Court not to hear this case for the time being'.
The tribunal issued a warrant for the arrest of 65-year-old Mr Bashir for his alleged responsibility for crimes committed in Darfur. It is the first warrant for a sitting head of state.
The UN says up to 300,000 people have died since conflict broke out in Sudan's Darfur region in 2003, when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime for a greater share of resources and power.
A ceasefire has been agreed between the government and opposition groups but clashes continue in the western region.
China is an ally and military supplier for Mr Bashir's government, relying on Sudan for oil imports.
It has consistently warned that such an arrest warrant could cause further trouble in the war-torn African country, and Mr Qin reiterated that position.
‘China is opposed to any action that could interfere with the peaceful situation in Darfur and Sudan,’ he said in the statement on the foreign ministry's website.
‘At the moment, the primary task of the international community is to preserve stability in the Darfur region.’
China's remark was in contrast to a reaction by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the International Criminal Court’s decision.
‘The ICC has issued an indictment based on a very long investigation and it is now in a judicial system, properly so,’ she said.
