Sudan offers Eritrea to swap hijackers for rebels

KHARTOUM, Sept 7 (Reuters) – Sudan has proposed to swap the Eritreans who hijacked a plane to Khartoum last month for Sudanese rebels said to be training at camps in Eritrea, a news service close to the government reported.

The Sudanese Media Center quoted presidential political affairs adviser Qutbi al-Mahdi on Monday night as saying Sudan would not otherwise repatriate the 15 Eritreans who took part in the hijacking. Mahdi was not available on Tuesday.

Mahdi told the news service: “The government will not hand over the accused to their country.” But he added: “If Eritrea agrees to send the rebels in camps in Eritrea, then the government would move to send the criminals back.”

The office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says the Sudanese government has given asylum to 60 of the 75 Eritreans who were on the Libyan plane at the time of the hijacking. They were being deported from Libya to Eritrea.

A Sudanese court has convicted the other 15 of hijacking and UNHCR said their status was still unclear.

Sudanese officials had previously said there were 76 Eritreans on the plane.

The 15 took control of the Libyan military transport plane on Aug. 27 with objects that included a can opener, three razor blades and two lighters, a Sudanese court was told. They were sentenced to five years in prison.

Sudan accuses Eritrea of arming rebels who launched a revolt in the western Darfur region in February last year. The rebels have opened offices in the Eritrean capital Asmara and Sudan says they also have training camps there.

Eritrean government regulations forbid young people from leaving the country. Human rights groups say hundreds of Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers have been forcibly sent home, where many have faced torture and detention without charge or trial. Eritrea denies the allegations.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees recommends that even failed asylum seekers are not forcibly returned to Eritrea.