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Secretary-General urges Sudanese leader to help with release of UN staff
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called Sudan's President to urge his direct engagement in securing the release of two staff members who have been held hostage in Darfur for 100 days.
Martin Nesirky, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, reports that Mr. Ban telephoned Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Sunday. The staff members, who work at the hybrid African Union-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), have been in captivity since August 29.
" The government has been attempting to secure their release but they have not as yet been released. And one of the hostages is gravely ill and the situation is critical. The President assured the Secretary-General that everything possible was being done. "
The spokesperson says Mr. Ban has also urged that the perpetrators of two weekend attacks on UNAMID peacekeepers be brought to justice. Five Rwandan peacekeepers were killed in those incidents, which took place in North Darfur.
Mr. Nesirsky says President Bashir indicated to the Secretary-General that he had issued instructions to his security agencies that the perpetrators be apprehended as soon as possible.
Dianne Penn, UN Radio.
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