NYALA, Sudan, 26 October 2005 — Refugees took 34 aid workers hostage in Darfur’s largest refugee camp yesterday, but later released all but five, UN officials and sources in the aid community said. The hostage-takers were demanding the release of a local tribal leader in the restive Kalma camp who was arrested by the authorities on Sunday, they said. “We have been told that all but five Sudanese national NGO (non-governmental organization) workers have been released,” UN spokesman George Somerwill said.
The aid workers involved were from the Sudanese Red Crescent, the governmental water and sanitation agency, and the US CHF aid agency, aid community sources said. Those still held were from the government agency. Another source said on Sunday that police trucks had been seen going into Kalma camp outside Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state. The camp houses almost 90,000 Darfuris and is a hot bed of unrest. The government has accused rebel groups of launching attacks from the camp.
The United Nations says at least two million Sudanese have been turned into refugees in their own country by 2 1/2 years of fighting between rebels, the Sudanese army and Arab militias known as Janjaweed, believed to be backed by Khartoum. UN officials have said recent violence has hindered vital aid to the refugees and restricted the movement for many of the 11,000 humanitarian workers in the remote western region.
Rape, murder and robbery are rampant throughout the vast region the size of France. Non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing Khartoum of neglect and of monopolizing wealth and power. The United States has called the violence genocide and blamed the government and its allied militias. Khartoum denies the charge but the International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating alleged war crimes committed during the revolt.
Meanwhile, the main rebel group in Darfur said it was postponing until Friday a key conference aimed at reconciling its feuding factions ahead of a new round of peace talks with the government next month. The congress of the Sudan Liberation Movement had been due to open yesterday at an undisclosed location in rebel-held Darfur but organizers said logistical problems had delayed the arrival of foreign observers.
“Some of our guests coming from Europe and the United States could not make it on the 25th and we decided to reschedule the meeting to Oct. 28,” meeting organizer Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim told AFP. He said an estimated 800 delegates were expected to attend the key meeting aimed at healing the massive rift in the movement over the latest round of peace talks with the government.
