ICRC Workers Abducted In Sudan, Chad

From a press release by the I.C.R.C....

Two ICRC staff members were abducted in the past weeks: Gauthier Lefèvre was abducted in West Darfur, Sudan, on 22 October, and Laurent Maurice was abducted in eastern Chad on 9 November. The ICRC's head of operations for East Africa, Daniel Duvillard, speaks about how the organization is dealing with these crises.

What is the latest information you have on Gauthier and Laurent?

We have managed to have phone contacts with the abductors of both of our staff. We also managed to speak directly with Gauthier and Laurent. They both say that they are in good health. That is already reassuring under the circumstances. At this point we do not know if there is a link between the two incidents, but we are obviously shocked and very sad. We appreciate how difficult the situation is for Gauthier's and Laurent's families and friends. We are in regular contact with them, and we are doing everything we can to give them the support they need.

Who is behind the abductions? Have there been ransom demands?

We don't know exactly who is behind the abductions or what their motives are, and we don't want to speculate. We did receive a ransom demand for Gauthier but, as a matter of policy, the ICRC does not pay out ransom money. The ICRC will continue to do its best through its regular channels of communication to bring about Gauthier's and Laurent's release.

The A.F.P. wrote a story based on the release.

GENEVA — The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Wednesday called for the "immediate and unconditional release" of two agency staff kidnapped in recent weeks in Sudan and neighbouring Chad.