El Salam camp abductees released in South Darfur

On Sunday, the six displaced of El Salam camp in South Darfur, who were abducted by gunmen more than two weeks ago, have been released. The kidnappers originally demanded a ransom of SDG50,000 ($8,700) for each of the six. Yet after negotiations between the kidnappers and a management committee, consisting of camp elders and relatives of the abductees, supported by the South Darfur Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, a total ransom of SDG230,000 ($40,100) was agreed upon. Another SDG25,000 ($4,400) is to be collected amongst the camp population within the coming six days, sheikh Mahjoub Adam Tabaldiya of El Salam camp reported to Radio Dabanga. Gunmen on camelback and in vehicles had abducted ten displaced from El Salam camp, located south of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, on 1 June. They released four of them the same day. The six abductees who were freed on Sunday are in a bad physical and mental condition, Tabaldiya said. “They said that they had been tortured. Their legs were shackled and their hands tied with ropes all the time.” The released displaced are Idris Hamid Muella (65), Adam Ishag Abakar (50), Ishag Adam Abdel Karim (50), Ahmed Bakhit Abakar (45), El Amin Abdallah Hamad (42), and Mohamed Abdallah Saleh (26). File photo Related: IOM resumes name verification in South Darfur camp (16 June 2014) Ten abducted in South Darfur (1 June 2014)