Sudan complains to AU against Eritrea on kidnapping incident

KHARTOUM, May 31, May (Sudan Tribune) — The Sudanese government has lodged an official complaint with the AU against Eritrea accusing it of kidnapping three Red Sea State legislators and two policemen.

The minister of agriculture and political secretary of the ruling political party, Majzoub al-Khalifah, said the government had informed the AU and other, unnamed, international bodies of the incident which occurred on the Port Sudan road last week.

He blamed Eritrea fully for the incident because the hostages were currently on its soil. Al-Khalifah further rejected any settlement involving a deal to free the hostages in exchange of the release, by the government, of those detained during the Port Sudan incidents.

He said the kidnapping of the legislators had been an act of terrorism, which cannot be compared with the detention of suspects in the Port Sudan incidents.

In this regard, the head of public relations for the opposition Beja Congress Party, Salah Barakwin, ruled out the release of the hostages at the present time adding, to Al-Ray al-Amm, that the hostages would be treated as POWs.

Material provided by the BBC Monitoring Service.