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The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) at the weekend denied Khartoum’s claim that it was holding relief workers as hostages for ransom, saying its release of the two Swiss ICRC workers without ransom was a clear indication of its position in this respect.
“It is the government of Sudan that takes hostages and demands ransom as shown by their criminal act in 1996 when it abducted three foreign ICRC officials and five wounded SPLA fighters who until today are not accounted for at Wunrok, Bahr el Ghazal Region,” the SPLM said in a press release.
It reaffirmed that it would not release three Khartoum officials abducted on 18 February alongside the ICRC workers in Kong in the Pariang area of Bentiu county, southern Sudan, describing them as “officials cum spies.” It said they were government agents closely associated with several of the National Islamic Front (NIF) security networks.
“The NIF cannot expect the SPLM/SPLA to release these three officials without proper interrogation,” the statement said, adding that they would be “humanely” treated. The ICRC and other human rights groups were free to visit the three at any time “during this period of investigation.”
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions