THE IRISH aid worker held hostage in Darfur since early July spoke with her mother by telephone yesterday.
It is understood it was the first time Sharon Commins (32), from Clontarf, Dublin, had made contact with her family for some weeks.
Eight armed men abducted Ms Commins and her Ugandan colleague, 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.
Abdul Bagi al-Jailani, the Sudanese minister for humanitarian affairs who has been overseeing negotiations for the women’s release, said he was heartened that the kidnappers had responded positively to the request for a phone call between Ms Commins and her mother.
"We have many channels on the ground to try to secure the women's release," he told The Irish Timeslast night.
“The phone call came about as a result of a new channel.”
Mr Jailani stressed that the Sudanese authorities remain optimistic the women will be freed – possibly around September 19th, when Muslims in Sudan celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin travelled to Khartoum last weekend to discuss the kidnapping with Sudanese government ministers and security officials.
While acknowledging that there had been several instances where hopes of an imminent release had been raised and then dashed, Mr Martin said efforts to free the women had been given “added momentum”.
The women’s plight has now become the longest-running abduction of foreign aid staff in Darfur.
Sudanese officials have described the kidnappers as members of a nomadic tribe seeking a ransom.
Khartoum insists it will not contemplate paying a ransom, fearing such a move could spark more kidnappings.
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, Mr Jailani said Khartoum was considering offering legal immunity to the kidnappers if they agreed to hand over the women.