125 Sudanese detainees released under ICRC mediation
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ICRC staff transferred the released soldiers, including 44 injured soldiers, by bus from Khartoum to Wad Madani.
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Freed aid workers board an ICRC vehicle (AFP)
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) cleared the way for the release of 125 soldiers of the Sudanese Armed Forces held by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
On Wednesday, ICRC teams transferred the released soldiers, including 44 injured soldiers, by bus from Khartoum to Wad Madani.
"This positive step means that families will be celebrating Eid-al Adha with their loved ones. We stand ready to act as a neutral intermediary for the release of detainees from all sides to the conflict whenever requested," said ICRC's Head of Delegation in Sudan, Jean Christophe Sandoz.
#Sudan: We facilitated yesterday the release of 125 soldiers of the Sudanese Armed Forces held by the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum, to Wad Madani, in our role as a neutral intermediary.
— ICRC (@ICRC) June 29, 2023
This positive step means that families will celebrate Eid-al Adha with their loved ones.
It is worth noting that the ICRC facilitated the release of 14 injured people who were held in Al Fashir, Darfur, on June 26.
This is happening as witnesses in the capital's twin city of Omdurman reported late Wednesday air strikes and anti-aircraft fire, despite separate unilateral truces announced by the Sudanese army and the RSF for the Eid al-Adha holiday.
Since April 15, nearly 2,800 people have been killed and more than 2.8 million displaced in the clashes between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy-turned-rival Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the paramilitary RSF.
In both Khartoum and the western region of Darfur, where most of the violence has taken place, bodies have been left in the streets.
Since April, more than 170,000 people have fled Darfur into neighboring Chad, according to UN refugee agency.
Almost 645,000 people have sought refuge outside Sudan, according to the latest International Organization for Migration data, with around 2.2 million more displaced within the country.
According to Laura Lo Castro, UNHCR's representative in Chad, "every 30 seconds, five (Sudanese) families cross the border into Chad through Adre town."
Read more: Sudan: A borderless conflict
