Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said he has conveyed to the Sudanese government the urgency of the situation regarding the kidnapping of an Irish aid worker more than two months ago in Darfur.
Mr Martin was speaking today after retuning from Khartoum where he held a series of meetings with government ministers and officials in relation to the kidnapping.
Armed men seized Sharon Commins (32), from Clontarf, Dublin, and Hilda Kawuki (42), from their compound in Kutum, a town in north Darfur, on July 3rd. The two women work for Irish aid agency Goal.
"I conveyed the urgency of the situation, particularly given the length of time they've been gone, and how we want a peaceful resolution to all this," he told RTÉ's News At One.
Mr Martin said Sudanese officials were keeping ongoing contact with the kidnappers through a tribal network in Darfur.
“The Sudanese government are angry and upset about the kidnapping. There are ongoing contacts through a tribal network in Darfur. Tribal chiefs are scandalised by events, the two women are held in high esteem in the community,” he added.
The kidnapping has become the longest-lasting abduction of foreign aid staff in Darfur. Between March and July, two groups of humanitarian workers were captured. One group was held for three days, the other for more than three weeks before being released unharmed.