Darfur kidnappers seek ransom for MSF workers

March 12, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — Kidnappers who are holding three aid workers in the war strife region of Darfur have asked for a ransom, a news service close to Sudanese intelligence service reported on Monday.

Yesterday unidentified gunmen abducted five aid workers form Médecins Sans Frontières – Belgium (MSF), two Sudanese, a Belgian nurse, a Canadian doctor and French coordinator. The Sudanese are released early today with a demand of ransom for the release of the abducted foreigners.

The abduction comes after the expulsion of 13 aid groups among which 2 MSF arms of Netherland and France. The Sudanese authorities also carry out virulent campaign against the foreign humanitarian groups often described as “ICC agents.” Sudan accuses the expelled groups of working or collaborating with the International Criminal Court.

“The kidnappers demanded a ransom and emphasized their unwillingness to violence,” said the governor of North Darfur, Osman Mohamed Yousef Kibir in a statement to the Sudanese Media Centre (SMC), after contacts with the kidnappers. He further underlined that the released local aid workers brought the phone number to the security service in order to negotiate a ransom.

The Sudanese official didn’t indicate the area where the Sudanese staffs were freed. The MSF workers had been kidnapped near Serif Umbra, 200km west of El-Fasher the capital of North Darfur.

However, the spokesperson of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) accused a militia led by Musa Hilal, of abducting the MSF workers. Hilal who is a leader of Darfurian Mahameed clan, is also accused of taking part in Darfur terror campaigns orchestrated by Khartoum.

Ahmed Hussein Adam said the kidnappers conducted the aid hostages to Gelay, north eastern of Kabkabiyya the headquarters of Musa Hilal militias.

From Brussels, MSF Belgium said today it plans to withdraw from Darfur. “This will be a further blow to the delivery of humanitarian assistance in that area, so the consequences are also extremely worrying for the civilians of Darfur,” said Christopher Stokes, general director of MSF Belgium, in a press conference held today.

The abduction occurred two days after the establishment of an alliance of Sudanese Islamist jihadists and Darfur pro-government militia groups pledging to carry out 250 attacks against countries that are supporting the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Musa Hilal, who is an adviser for the ministry of federal government, is one of the members of this alliance as the head of the Darfur Lions Brigade.

The Darfur rebel movements condemned the kidnapping and said only the Sudanese government bears responsibility of the abduction.

Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, said it is part of the “final solution” planned by Khartoum. He accused the Sudanese authorities of planning to remove all the foreign aid groups out of the troubled region.

He further urged MSF Belgium to not leave the civilians in Darfur and urged US President Barack Obama and French Nicolas Sarkozy to act strongly to stop these plans.

Ahmed Hussein Adam, JEM spokesperson, said that they consider Khartoum responsible of this abduction and urged their release.

He urged the international community and the free world countries to take a strong position against this abduction because it would lead to humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur. He also warned that JEM is review its position from the Doha peace talks because there no conducive environment under the current situation.

In Khartoum, the Sudanese foreign ministry condemned the abduction and assured that the abductees were thought to be in good health.

Also the governor of North Darfur denounced the kidnapping and directed to protect the aid workers in the state.

(ST)