MINISTER FOR Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin held talks in Khartoum yesterday with Sudanese officials dealing with the case of the Irish aid worker kidnapped more than two months ago in Darfur with a female Ugandan colleague.
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 work for Irish aid agency Goal.
Mr Martin flew to Khartoum at the weekend. He discussed the abduction with the Sudanese government and security officials, including his counterpart Deng Alor; President Omar al-Bashir’s main adviser on Darfur, Ghazi Salaheddin; and Abdul Bagi al-Jailani, the minister for humanitarian affairs who has been overseeing negotiations for the women’s release.
In a brief statement to journalists in Khartoum yesterday, Mr Martin said he wanted to convey the level of concern the abduction had prompted in Ireland, and stressed the Government’s willingness to assist in efforts to secure the women’s release.
Mr al-Jailani last night told The Irish Timesthe meetings had been "very fruitful". "We briefed the Minister on our efforts, and told him that, though this has been a long road of negotiation, we expect these efforts to materialise into something soon," he added.
Ireland has maintained a constant presence of diplomats and negotiators in the country since July, including Gerry Corr, the Irish ambassador to Egypt who also has responsibility for Sudan.
Sudanese officials have described the kidnappers as members of a nomadic tribe in north Darfur, who are seeking a ransom. Khartoum says it is determined not to pay, fearing this could encourage a fresh spate of abductions.
Mr al-Jailani said Sudanese authorities were continuing to liaise with tribal elders in north Darfur to free the women. Officials stopped talking directly to the kidnappers some time ago.
Last month, Mr al-Jailani said Khartoum was considering offering legal immunity to the men if they agreed to hand over the two aid workers. Sudanese officials have expressed hope that there may be some developments before the holy month of Ramadan ends, on or about September 19th.
Goal’s CEO John O’Shea welcomed Mr Martin’s decision to travel to Khartoum. “We hope that he will bring an increased sense of urgency to the situation, and that we will soon have a successful outcome,” Mr O’Shea said last night.
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.