Ugandan police probe alleged abduction of Sudanese diplomat’s family

KAMPALA, July 26 (AFP) — Ugandan police said Saturday they were investigating the disappearance a week ago of two members of a Sudanese diplomat’s family, allegedly kidnapped by Sudanese rebels.

Sudan’s ambassador to Uganda, Surajjudin Ahmed Yusuf, said on local radio Saturday that two members of the family of an embassy official had been abducted by people he claimed were members of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).

“Last Saturday, two Sudanese nationals who are family members of a diplomat were kidnapped by operatives moving in an SPLA vehicle,” Surajjudin told CBS FM radio.

But an SPLA official here, George Riak, denied that the rebel movement was responsible for the alleged abduction.

“If they were diplomats then they would be registered with the foreign ministry, but the names they gave are not listed when we checked with our sources here,” Riak told AFP by telephone.

Ugandan police spokesman Asuman Mugenyi said the alleged abduction was being investigated.

“The CID (Criminal Investigation Department) is aware of the case and they have instituted an investigation into the matter,” said Mugenyi.

Surajjudin named the official whose family members were kidnapped as Hassan Yusuf Ngor, the first secretary in the embassy.

“We are going to raise this issue in the UN General Assembly,” he said, adding that Sudan’s defence minister will visit Kampala next week to take up the issue with Ugandan officials.

He described the alleged kidnapping as a “black spot” in relations between the two countries and charged that Uganda continued to back the SPLA despite promising to stop supporting the rebel group.

Under an accord singed in 1999, both Uganda and Sudan plegded to stop supporting and sheltering each other’s rebel groups.