Armed men kidnap three aid workers in South Darfur
May 18, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Three aid workers including a woman form the United State have been abducted today in South Darfur state by unknown gunmen on Tuesday, a UN official stated.
A United Nations press officer in Khartoum, Samuel Hendricks, said the incident occurred when the kidnappers stopped a two-vehicle convoy transporting nine aid workers in a village near Nyala.
"It happened near a village called Abu Ajura in South Darfur as the convoy was heading to Nyala. Three of the people were captured. The remaining six are in Abu Ajura and are believed to be secure," Hendricks said in a statement to the AFP.
South Darfur authorities and US embassy in Khartoum confirmed the kidnapping whoever the identity of the American female and the name of the aid group remain undisclosed. But a South Darfur state minister, Abdel Baqi al-Jilani, spoke about an American organization.
Abduction of international staffers becomes more and more recurrent in Darfur. but the motivations differ from a group to another.
Abdel Baqi said the abduction could be financially motivated
"From our experience, we expect that a ransom will be demanded. We had asked aid groups working in Darfur to decrease foreigners’ movements there," the state minister said.
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