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Sudan says aid workers still being held
14 Mar 2009 12:11:42 GMT
 Source: Reuters

Background

•  Darfur conflict

•  Sudan conflicts

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* Four aid workers still being held in Sudan

* Sudan says they are safe and sound

* Hopes remain they will be freed later on Saturday

(Adds background, MSF's statement from Saturday)

KHARTOUM, March 14 (Reuters) - Four aid workers who were kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region are still being held, a Sudanese Foreign Ministry official said on Saturday, describing earlier reports of their release as premature.

Armed men seized the staff from the Belgian arm of Médecins sans Frontières from their base in north Darfur on Wednesday, sending shockwaves through the region's humanitarian community.

MSF identified them as a Canadian nurse, an Italian doctor, a French coordinator and a Sudanese national.

"They are still not released, the government is making its utmost efforts and is coordinating with the concerned authorities," said Ali Youssef Ahmed, head of protocol at Sudan's Foreign Ministry.

"I can assure you that they are well, everybody is safe and sound," he told Reuters, adding there were still hopes the captives would be freed later on Saturday.

The abductions came at a time of rising tension in Sudan, following the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir to face charges of orchestrating war crimes in Darfur.

Sudan expelled 13 international aid groups from the north of the country after the warrant was issued, accusing them of passing information to the court, an accusation the groups deny. MSF's Dutch and French arms were ordered to leave but its Belgian operation was not expelled.

Aid groups have said they have faced growing antagonism in Darfur since the arrest warrant was issued.

Late on Friday, MSF Italy said the workers had been released, and Italy's Foreign Ministry confirmed the statement.

On Saturday, MSF said it had initially received reports of "the possible release" of their staff members.

"However, since we heard this new information we have not seen our colleagues, nor have we had the chance to speak with them," said the aid group's Nairobi-based spokeswoman Susan Sandars.

"MSF cannot confirm reports that our team ... has been released."

After the abductions, MSF said it was suspending all its remaining operations in Darfur and was pulling around 30 foreign staff back to Khartoum for security reasons.

U.N. officials have warned that the expulsion and closure of aid groups in Sudan after the ICC warrant could have a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of people in strife-hit regions across north Sudan.

Before the expulsions, the United Nations and aid groups were running the world's largest humanitarian operation in Darfur where, international experts say almost six years of fighting has uprooted 2.7 million people. (Reporting by Andrew Heavens; Editing by Giles Elgood)


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Sudanese workers from the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) are seen at its office in Al Fasher, northern Darfur March 14, 2009. Four aid workers with the French-based medical charity ...


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Last updated:Sat Mar 14 12:14:46 2009