Last two AU hostages freed
2005-10-10 21:30
Khartoum - The last two African Union peacekeepers taken hostage at the weekend by a Sudanese rebel group in Darfur have been released, an African Union spokesperson said.
"African Union force commander Festus Owkonko has now returned to his base in Al-Fashir, North Darfur, after receiving the two hostages in Tine while the two former abductees remained behind in their AU Tine sector," Noureddine Mezni told AFP in Khartoum.
He said there was confusion during the past two days about the number of the captives and about who was released and who was not but "now all of them have been released".
According to previous statements from the AU, 36 of the 38 hostages were released by members of a dissident faction of Darfur's rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) earlier on Monday.
- AFP