Red Cross facilitates release of 64 SAF soldiers held by RSF in Sudan capital

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday facilitated the release of 64 Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers who were held by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum.

Adnan Hezam, ICRC representative in Sudan, told Radio Dabanga that the released people were transferred from war-torn Khartoum to the secure El Gezira capital of Wad Madani. The warring SAF and the RSF, had requested the ICRC act as a neutral intermediary.

Since the war broke out in mid April, the ICRC has facilitated the release and transfer of 292 detainees, Hezam said.

In a press statement on Monday, Pierre Dorbes, ICRC head of delegation in Sudan, said that his organisation’s “main goal is to guarantee that any release operation serves the best interests of the detainees,” and added that they “are prepared to act as a neutral intermediary for the release of more detainees”.

The ICRC does not negotiate or influence the decision on who is released or when the release takes place, nor does the ICRC disclose the identities of the detainees. These decisions are independently taken by the warring parties, the statement said.

In end June, ICRC teams transported 125 SAF soldiers released by the RSF by bus from Khartoum to Wad Madani.