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Kidnapped Jordanians With UN Mission Freed in Darfur

   VOA News 17 August 2010

   Jordanian  and Sudanese officials say two Jordanians abducted Saturday
   in Sudan's Darfur region have been released.
   Sudanese  officials  said  Tuesday  the  two  men,  who  are  with the
   U.N.-African  Union  mission  in Darfur, were freed after negotiations
   involving the government and tribal leaders.
   Jordan's   Information   Minister  Ali  Al-Ayed  said  the  men  First
   Lieutenants  Nabil Kilani and Ahmad Qaisi are in good condition at the
   Jordanian mission in Darfur.
   Ayed  said  the  two are among only four security personnel Jordan has
   working for the joint U.N.-African Union mission, known as UNAMID.
   It  remains  unclear who kidnapped the men.  UNAMID said the two were
   grabbed  Saturday  in  the  South Darfur state capital, Nyala, as they
   were  walking  to  a  UNAMID transport dispatch point about 100 meters
   from their residence. Â
   They  were  approached  by  three  individuals  in  a four-wheel-drive
   vehicle and seized at gunpoint. Â
   The  kidnapping was the latest in a series of attacks on UNAMID forces
   in recent weeks. Last month, an ambush wounded seven peacekeepers, and
   another ambush in June killed three and wounded a fourth.
   Peacekeepers and foreign aid workers have faced increased hostility in
   Darfur  since  March  2009,  when  the  International  Criminal  Court
   indicted  Sudanese  President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in
   the region.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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