Sudanese authorities have released an American journalist, Paul Salopek, after holding him for a month on charges of spying and entering the country without a visa, his family said.
Salopek's interpreter and driver, both from Chad, who had been detained with him, were also freed on Saturday. The three were arrested on 6 August after entering the strife-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur from neighbouring Chad. Salopek was on an assignment for National Geographic magazine.
"This is an extremely joyful day for me and for the rest of Paul's family," Salopek's wife, Linda Lynch, told reporters in Khartoum. "We remain deeply grateful to every single individual who helped us in this situation, and again our deep gratitude [goes] to President [Omar al] Bashir and the people of Sudan for their kindness in this matter," she added.
The release of the Chicago Tribune correspondent followed a meeting between Bashir and Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, where Salopek lives. Despite his ordeal, Salopek told reporters in Khartoum that he would return to Darfur if granted a visa. "The Darfur story continues to be important and one that deserves continuing coverage," he said. War broke out in Darfur early in 2003 when rebels in the region took up arms against the government, accusing it of neglecting and marginalising the area's residents.
Relations between the United States and Sudan have worsened in recent weeks after Washington backed a United Nations resolution calling for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur despite resistance from Khartoum.
Richardson characterised his mission to have Salopek freed as a humanitarian rather than a political gesture. "I made the case that Paul Salopek and the two Chadian members of our delegation were legitimate [and] respected journalists; they were doing their job, they were not spies," he said.
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Salopek's interpreter and driver, both from Chad, who had been detained with him, were also freed on Saturday. The three were arrested on 6 August after entering the strife-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur from neighbouring Chad. Salopek was on an assignment for National Geographic magazine.
"This is an extremely joyful day for me and for the rest of Paul's family," Salopek's wife, Linda Lynch, told reporters in Khartoum. "We remain deeply grateful to every single individual who helped us in this situation, and again our deep gratitude [goes] to President [Omar al] Bashir and the people of Sudan for their kindness in this matter," she added.
The release of the Chicago Tribune correspondent followed a meeting between Bashir and Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, where Salopek lives. Despite his ordeal, Salopek told reporters in Khartoum that he would return to Darfur if granted a visa. "The Darfur story continues to be important and one that deserves continuing coverage," he said. War broke out in Darfur early in 2003 when rebels in the region took up arms against the government, accusing it of neglecting and marginalising the area's residents.
Relations between the United States and Sudan have worsened in recent weeks after Washington backed a United Nations resolution calling for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Darfur despite resistance from Khartoum.
Richardson characterised his mission to have Salopek freed as a humanitarian rather than a political gesture. "I made the case that Paul Salopek and the two Chadian members of our delegation were legitimate [and] respected journalists; they were doing their job, they were not spies," he said.
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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
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