Aid workers kidnapped in Sudan freed

Four aid workers with the French-based medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) who were kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region have been released, MSF Italy said yesterday.

MSF identified them as a Canadian nurse, an Italian doctor, a French coordinator and a Sudanese national. "The kidnappers called us... (the hostages) were released an hour ago," Kostas Moschochoritis, head of MSF Italy, said.

The Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed the release.

Mr Moschochoritis said no money was paid. "I can absolutely guarantee that no ransom was paid," he said. The four were on their way to El Fasher in north Darfur, he added.

Tension has risen in Sudan after the International Criminal Court (ICC) decided last week to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir over accusations of war crimes in Darfur.

Sudan reacted by shutting down 16 aid organisations, saying they had helped the international court in the Hague, an accusation aid groups deny. Two arms of MSF were among those asked to leave, but MSF Belgium was not among them.

Aid officials have said they fear humanitarian workers could be targeted in the highly-charged atmosphere after the ICC's judgement.

The three foreign MSF staff taken hostage were seized on Wednesday along with two Sudanese staff in the north Darfur town of Saraf Omra. MSF in Belgium had previously said the two Sudanese were released soon after being captured.

The Sudanese government had earlier said it had located the aid workers and was in contact with the kidnappers. "We know where they are... We have established a link with them and we are discussing their terms," foreign ministry undersecretary Mutrif Siddig said.

The Catholic missionary news agency MISNA gave the names of the three foreign MSF staff as Laura Archer, Mauro D'Ascanio and Raphael Meonier.

MSF said earlier yesterday it had suspended all its operations in Darfur and pulled around 30 international staff back to Khartoum as a security move after the armed abduction.

"We are extremely concerned for our staff and for the people we were trying to assist in Darfur," said MSF's Nairobi-based spokesman Susan Sandars.

She said MSF was particularly concerned about Saraf Omra, where it ran the only health clinic for the area's 60,000 residents. "Now there will be no general health care, no surgical capacity, no emergency transport for critical patients," said Ms Sandars.

Sudan's state media and government officials have used emotive rhetoric over the past week against the expelled aid groups, accusing them of spying on the country and doing little to help Darfuris.

The pro-government newspaper Akhir Lahzah yesterday published an interview with a senior health official criticising MSF's decision to suspend its Darfur operations after the abduction as a "spiteful act" of retaliation for the expulsions.