ICRC visits Sudanese government soldiers held by rebel group in Darfur

ICRC visits Sudanese government soldiers held by rebel group in Darfur
2013-08-28 17:22:00
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Abdelwahid an-Nur Abdelwahid an-Nur


Khartoum-International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Tuesday that ICRC delegates visited Sudanese government soldiers held in Darfur by the Sudan Liberation Army – Abdelwahid an-Nur faction (SLA-AW), an armed opposition group.

"The ICRC visits detainees to check on their conditions of detention and ensure that they are treated with dignity and humanity, in accordance with international standards," said Jean-Christophe Sandoz, head of the ICRC delegation in Sudan. Following such visits, the ICRC discusses its findings and recommendations exclusively with those concerned. As part of its services to detainees, the ICRC facilitates the exchange of Red Cross messages containing family news between those detained and their families. During this visit, 10 such messages were distributed and 17 were collected.

The armed opposition group also released one of the detained soldiers, who were ill. Serving in its capacity as a neutral intermediary, and at the request of the SLA-AW and the government authorities, the ICRC arranged for the released soldier to be transferred to Nyala by helicopter. He was accompanied by his wife and three children and by ICRC personnel. In Nyala he was placed in the care of the Sudanese authorities. "We are ready to facilitate further handovers, if all parties agree and request us to do so," he said