EFFORTS TO secure the release of an Irish aid worker abducted, along with a Ugandan colleague, in Darfur in July have been given “added momentum”, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said last night.
Mr Martin was speaking following his visit to Khartoum at the weekend, during which he met Sudanese government ministers and security officials to discuss the kidnapping.
Up to eight gunmen seized Sharon Commins (32), from Clontarf, Dublin, and Hilda Kawuki (42), from their compound in the north Darfur town of Kutum on July 3rd. The two women work for Irish aid agency Goal.
Mr Martin acknowledged there had been several instances where hopes of an imminent release had been raised and then dashed.
As a result, he was wary of predicting a timeframe for a possible release, but insisted his two-day trip to Sudan had proved “very useful”.
“It was a chance to meet face-to-face with some of the people I have been in contact with all along. I wanted to convey the urgency of the situation as we see it,” Mr Martin told The Irish Times last night.
“The length of time that has elapsed is unacceptable.”
The kidnapping has now become the longest-running abduction of foreign humanitarian staff in Darfur.
Sudanese officials have described the kidnappers as members of a nomadic tribe seeking a ransom.
Khartoum says it is determined not to pay, fearing this could trigger a fresh round of abductions.
Authorities in Sudan say they continue to liaise with tribal elders in the region as part of efforts to secure the women’s release.
Last month a Sudanese government minister said Khartoum was considering offering legal immunity to the kidnappers if they agreed to hand over the two.
Sudanese officials have expressed a hope that there may be some developments before the holy month of Ramadan ends, on or around September 19th.
