Muhyadin Ahmed Roble, AfricaNews reporter in Nairobi, Kenya
Sudan Security Forces have released a Red Cross aid worker, who was held in Darfur for 147 days, security boss said on Thursday.
Security forces in Darfur succeeded in releasing Gauthier Lefevre from the kidnappers without battle. Head security official in Darfur, West Sudan, Abu Gurun told Reuters that a group of forces had watched the kidnappers until they got Lefevre.
"We were intent that there be no exchange of fire so that we could guarantee his safety," he added.
One of the kidnappers was arrested and now is in custody. The chief was stated as saying "We will arrest these people and we will send them to court."
ICRC spokesman Saleh Dabbakeh also confirmed the release without paying ransom. "We are extremely happy that he has been released”, the spokesman said.
The kidnapping of aid worker Lefevre has been the longest abduction in the recent history of Darfur, ICRC said.
Lefevre is now in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner welcomed Lefevre's release.
The Agency suspended its activities in the region because of Lefevre’s abduction and also another ICRC aid worker from eastern Chad.
Lefevre, who has both French and British citizenship, was kidnapped last October as he returned to El Geneina, capital of west Darfur, one of the world's worst humanitarian emergencies. The kidnappers demanded a $1 million ransom.
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