Two UK aid workers released after misunderstanding with Darfur rebels

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Feb 20, 2005 (AP) — Two British aid workers have been released after being held briefly by Darfur rebels following a misunderstanding about whether they had permission to be in the area, the British ambassador said Sunday.

Patricia Parker and her son, Alistair King Smith, were detained Saturday afternoon by members of the Sudan Liberation Army, who disputed whether the humanitarian workers had the necessary papers to be working in North Darfur.

Ambassador William Patey said the British Embassy intervened and the “misunderstanding” was cleared up within a few hours. He said the two stayed the night with the rebels as it had been too dark to travel and returned to El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on Sunday morning.

“They are no longer enjoying the hospitality of the SLA,” Patey told The Associated Press.

He said Kids for Kids, the organization Parker and Smith work for, distributes young goats to impoverished families and does other aid work in Darfur, where a two-year rebellion has displaced 2 million from their homes and killed tens of thousands of people.

The United Nations has called Darfur the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.