A delegation of Irish diplomats and negotiators is doing everything possible to secure the freedom of an Irish aid worker and her Ugandan colleague in Sudan, Goal chief executive John O'Shea said today.
Sharon Commins (32), from Clontarf, Dublin, and Hilda Kuwuki (42), both of whom work for the Irish aid agency, were seized by up to eight armed men who forced their way into the Goal compound in Kutum, a town in north Darfur, last Friday evening.
The Irish Government delegation flew out to the Sudanese capital Khartoum last weekend to assist in efforts to secure the women's release. They have since held meetings with high-ranking Sudanese officials as well as representatives from other embassies whose citizens have been abducted in the past.
Some of the Irish team travelled on to El-Fasher, the main town in north Darfur. Mr O'Shea said today he was "satisfied that the delegation, assisted by the Sudanese authorities, are doing all within their power to secure the release of the Goalies".
Sudan's ambassador to the UK, Omer Mohamed Ahmed Siddig, who is in Dublin for a pre-planned official visit, held a private meeting with the Commins family today.
Yesterday, Sudan's minister for humanitarian affairs Abdul-Bagi al-Jailani said negotiations were continuing after contact had been made with those responsible for abducting the two women.
"The people holding them are now known by name, by tribe and by clan," Mr Jailani told The Irish Timesin a telephone interview from Khartoum. "We have our own means and ways to continue the process towards the ladies' release but we cannot declare the details of this right now. We would just like to stress that we are committed to achieving the safe release of these two ladies.
"We are doing our best to release them as soon as possible. I am quite sure that, in a few days' time, we will have a positive outcome."
Asked about the identity of the kidnappers, Mr Jailani said: "These are bandits. They have nothing to do with the [Darfur] rebels, they have nothing to do with politics."
He confirmed that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom. However, Sudanese officials are anxious not to set a precedent of paying a ransom, saying it would only encourage further abductions in the region.