Sudanese POWs claim abused by SPLA, Juba denies

April 26, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – One of 13 Sudanese prisoners of war (POW) released by the government of South Sudan alleged they were mistreated upon returning to Khartoum on Thursday.

The prisoners arrived at Khartoum airport via Cairo on Thursday after they were detained since 10 April by South Sudan army, SPLA, when it occupied the disputed oil-area of Heglig.

South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir agreed to release the prisoners after being urged to do so by Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mohammed Amro, who shuttled between Khartoum and Juba in an attempt to explore ways of ending tension between the two neighbors.

One of the released prisoners, Khalid Ahmad Hassan, told reporters that their captors had only removed their handcuffs when they arrived at Juba airport in an attempt to “mislead Western media and convince everyone that they had abided by international laws.”

“This is however not the case” he said, adding that they had been “beaten, tortured and insulted” throughout their stay in South Sudan.

But South Sudan’s government has strongly denied the allegation, accusing Khartoum of telling the prisoners to claim abuse.

“The prisoners of war were not beaten. Khartoum told them to say they were beaten,” South Sudan’s information minister, Barnaba Marial, said, as reported by the country’s official account on Twitter.

South Sudan also “calls on Khartoum to release the 7 SPLA members it holds as prisoner of war, if they have not been killed” the same Twitter account reported.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of Sudan’s foreign ministry, Al-Obayd Adam Marawih, commended the efforts exerted by the Egyptian government and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in securing the release of the prisoners.

(ST)