‘Red Cross workers abducted in Central Darfur’: witness

Eight members of staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross, including the organisation’s director for Nertiti locality in Central Darfur, were allegedly abducted “by pro-government militiamen” on the road from Nertiti to state capital Zalingei on Monday morning. A witness told Radio Dabanga that “two Red Cross vehicles carrying a total of eight people were stopped by militiamen at about 10pm in the Hila Beeda area” and taken “to an unknown location”. He could not confirm the full names of all the abductees, but said that they include the ICRC director in Nertiti Abubakar Mohamed Saleh, the drivers of two vehicles, Habib Hamza and Hamas Al Salah, and Red Cross workers Antar, Adam Ibrahim, Abdul Rahim Agen, Ahmed, and another whose name has not yet been established.For its part, ICRC affirms that it does not have a director in Nertiti.  Speaking to Radio Dabanga from Khartoum, official spokesman for the Red Cross in Sudan, Jean-Christophe Sandoz said that he “could neither confirm nor deny” the incident. “No comment for the moment,” he said.Picture: Logo of the International Committee of the Red Cross