Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa
KHARTOUM, Sudan – Four peacekeepers who were abducted last week are okay. Negotiations for their release are underway.
“We spoke to our staff today by phone,” said Mohamed Yonis, the joint African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Deputy Joint Special Representative. “They are reported to be unharmed. We are calling for the immediate and unconditional release of our peacekeepers.”
Added UNAMID spokesman Nouredine Mezni, “We are doing our utmost to secure their release. The Sudanese authorities know the identity of the kidnappers but they want to make sure their release takes place in the best possible conditions.”
Four UNAMID police advisors were kidnapped on Sunday, 11 April 2010 while on the way back to their private quarters, a 4.3 mile trek. The two men and two women were leaving Nyala, South Darfur, the center of several humanitarian operations in Darfur and the second largest city in Sudan.
According to Jibril Bukhari Abbas, head of the People’s Democratic Struggle Movement (PDSM), one of the PDSM members kidnapped the peacekeepers without instruction. He said PDSM entered into peace talks with the government last week.
“[The abductor] was unaware of an agreement which was concluded between the government and the People’s Democratic Struggle Movement which has joined the peace march,” said Bukhari.
This abduction is reported to be “the largest single abduction of foreigners” in Darfur. It happened as the first competitive election in more than twenty years was to take place in Sudan.
“We want one billion Sudanese pounds (400,000 US dollars) but that is not the most important. We want to show the international community that security conditions in Darfur do not allow for elections,” said Ibrahim al-Dukki.
Abductions in the region have ebbed after a year-long wave of abductions.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called this “a new and deeply troubling development in Darfur, with the potential to undermine the efforts of the international community.”
The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government. According to the UN, at least 300,000 have been killed and more than 2.5 million have been displaced.
For more information, please see:
AFP – Peacekeepers Kidnapped in Darfur ‘In Good Health’ – 16 April 2010
AP – UN Mission in Darfur: Abducted Peacekeepers are OK – 16 April 2010
UN News Centre – Darfur: UN – African Union Mission Makes Contact with Four Abducted Peacekeepers – 16 April 2010
