Kidnapped American Humanitarian Aid Worker in Darfur Freed

KHARTOUM, Aug. 30, 2010 (Xinhua) -

Sudanese government authorities on Monday announced the release of the American humanitarian aid worker, Flavia Wagner, of Samaritan's Purse who was kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region and had been in captivity for 100 days.

"She was released today and she is in good condition. She will be transported to Khartoum later," Muawiya Osman Khalid, Sudanese Foreign Ministry Spokesman, told Xinhua today.

He said the release of the American hostage came as a result of intensive contacts led by the government authorities in cooperation with the native administrations in Darfur.

He further reiterated Khartoum's policy which stands on non- responding to demands of the kidnappers or paying any ransom.

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped the American hostage and two of her Sudanese colleagues by mid of May 2010 southwest of Nyala, capital of the South Darfur State where later her two Sudanese colleagues were released and she remained in captivity.

The release of the American hostage came only one day after three Russian pilots being kidnapped in Nyala unidentified gunmen.

An anonymous local official in the South Darfur State was reported by Sudan's Al Ahdath daily on Monday as saying that "the unidentified gunmen on a Land Cruiser vehicle obstructed a mini bus that was carrying the three pilots and kidnapped them at gun point".

"The abductors drove with the kidnapped pilots to a remote area north of Nyala. The security authorities identified the area and presently surrounding the abductors", the anonymous source added according to the paper.

The three Russian pilots were working for the Sudanese Badr Aviation Company, the paper said.

The incident was the most recent in a series of abductions against foreigners and humanitarian workers in the Darfur region which has been suffering from a civil war since 2003.

Recently, peacekeepers of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and other international organizations' personnel have been subjected to repeated kidnapping incidents, but the Sudanese government has managed to free all the kidnapped aid workers, save for one American humanitarian worker who is still in custody.

Three Russian pilots freed in Darfur

KHARTOUM, Aug. 31, 2010 (Xinhua) --

Three Russian pilots kidnapped in the South Darfur state on Sunday have been freed, the Sudanese state media reported on Tuesday.

Editor: Xiong Tong

Three Russian pilots reportedly kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur

KHARTOUM, Aug. 30, 2010 (Xinhua) --

Three Russian pilots were kidnapped in Nyala, capital of the South Darfur State, on Sunday by unidentified gunmen, reported Khartoum Al-Ahdath daily on Monday.

The paper quoted an anonymous local official in the South Darfur State as saying that "unidentified men on a Land Cruiser vehicle obstructed a mini-bus that was carrying the three pilots and kidnapped them at gun point."

"The abductors drove with the kidnapped pilots to a remote area north of Nyala. The security authorities identified the area and presently surrounding the abductors," the anonymous source said according to the paper.

The three Russian pilots were working for the Sudanese Badr Aviation Company, the paper said.

The incident came after a series of abductions against foreigners and humanitarian workers in the Darfur region which has been suffering from a civil war since 2003.

Recently, peacekeepers of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and other international organizations' personnel have been subjected to repeated kidnapping incidents, but the Sudanese government has managed to free most of the kidnapped aid workers. Only one American humanitarian worker was still in custody.

Editor: Xiong Tong