Five Aid Workers Kidnapped In Sudan's Darfur

Three international aid workers and two Sudanese guards were kidnapped by a group of armed persons in the western Sudanese region of Darfur on Wednesday.

The Sudanese guards were later released.

The other three abducted, including a Canadian nurse, an Italian doctor and a French coordinator, all belonged to the Belgian branch of the Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF.

Speaking in Paris on Thursday, Marie-Pierre Allie, the President of MSF France said the group had been contacted by one of the kidnapped workers who said they were in good health and unharmed.

"There has been no violence against our people. We've been able to get in touch with them last night, one of the persons who's been kidnapped managed to get in touch with us and told us that they were fine. But we have no further information for the moment, no demand from the kidnappers and we don't know who they are."

The abduction prompted a statement by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon who expressed deep concern about the fate of the three foreign aid workers, and called for the "immediate, unharmed release" of them. Ban Ki-moon also urged all parties in Darfur, including the government of Sudan, to act to ensure the safety of UN and other aid workers.

This was the first kidnapping of foreign aid workers since the Sudanese government announced last week a decision to expel 13 foreign nongovernmental organizations operating in Darfur out of the country.