Indian contractor released in Darfur 3 months after abduction

June 13, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – An Indian contractor with the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was freed on Thursday in North Darfur 97 days after his abduction by unidentified armed men.

Irfan Jaffery had been kidnapped the gunmen on 11 March, at 08.00pm local time, when he and a colleague were walking in a residential area in El Fasher.

In a statement released on Friday, the hybrid mission said that Jaffrery was freed in Kabkabiya, one of the five districts of North Darfur state located 151 km west of the state capital.

UNAMID chief, “Mohamed Ibn Chambas, expressed the Mission’s gratitude to the Government of Sudan, Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services, the Wali (governor) of North Darfur, and the Government of India for their valuable assistance in the safe release of Mr Jaffery,” said a statement released by the joint mission.

North Darfur deputy governor told reporters that the Indian contractor has been released after efforts exerted by the security and intelligence apparatus who were tracking the abductors.

A security official said no ransom payment was made in exchange for Jaffery’s release.

Armed gangs in the Darfur region, comprising mainly of former militiamen, typically consider the kidnapping of foreigners a “lucrative business”.

(ST)