 Ibrahim Gambari
French International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aid worker Laurent Maurice, who was taken by unidentified gunmen in November in eastern Chad while on a harvest assessment mission just 10 kilometres from the border with Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region, was released on Saturday and immediately flown to Khartoum, the Sudanese capital, where he received medical attention.
UNAMID Joint Special Representative Ibrahim Gambari said the release was particularly welcome as the mission too had faced a similar ordeal last year when two of its members were abducted, only to be released after more than 100 days in captivity.
Another ICRC staffer, abducted in West Darfur state in October, still remains in captivity. Mr. Gambari stressed the importance of aid work undertaken by UN and humanitarian workers in Darfur and called upon all parties to refrain from impeding their work.
UNAMID was set up in 2007 to try to quell the violence in Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million others displaced in a nearly seven-year conflict pitting rebels against Government forces and allied Janjaweed militiamen.
The mission has reached about 70 per cent of its authorized strength of 19,555 troops and 4,449 police officers, and still lacks key military elements, including a series of medium utility helicopters considered vital in the remote region.
Source: UN News
Global 
-
-
-
-
-
US charity sounds the alarm, claiming Bangladesh is blocking aid and medical treatment for refugees, who are locked up in open-air prisons. Rohingya are a Muslim minority from Myanmar and are persecuted by that country’s military dictatorship. Bangladeshi authorities dismiss accusations, saying, ... more
-
Under the title "Here am I. Send me," the Archdiocese of Colombo celebrates Children's Day. An 'opportunity for children and young people to begin their vocational journey. Archbishop of Colombo: We have different talents, qualities and weaknesses, but above all we are precious and unique to the ... more
-
Archbishop Takami promotes a “pilgrimage for peace” that will start in Nagasaki and end Guernica (Spain), home to another statue of the Virgin damaged by war in 1937. Benedict XVI will hold an audience during one of its stops. more
-
During a visit in prison, the pastor’s wife saw he had signs of torture. He could be executed. An anti-Protestant crackdown is underway in Isfahan. The regime’s fight against proselytising is coupled with fears that Christian gatherings might host its opponents. more
-
Between 300-500 Balkars congregated in Nalchik yesterday to mark the anniversary of the deportation to Central Asia on Stalin's orders in 1944 of the entire Balkar nation -- some 38,000 people. more
Comments
|
|
RSS