Ransom paid in release

RIGA - Sudanese authorities paid a ransom of 500,000 pounds (over 815,000 dollars) to free Latvian pilots held captive in the restive Darfur region, a Sudanese court disclosed on April 17, reports news agency LETA. The newspaper Sudan Tribune reports that a special criminal court in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, trying Sudanese accused of abducting a Latvian air crew last year, revealed that “some” Sudanese authorities paid 500,000 pounds to secure their release.
The investigations also show that 20,000 pounds were paid to the abductors for the release of some members of the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur, UNAMID.

Sudanese security services, who usually deal with such cases, denied paying any ransom to the kidnappers, who are often former members of the government militias. The latter blame Khartoum for not honoring promises received to fight the rebels.

The western Sudan region of Darfur has been beset by violence since 2003 after rebels began an armed insurgency against Khartoum, accusing the central government of supporting land grabbing by Arab tribes and neglecting development.
To counter the rebels, the central authorities used local militiamen who targeted civilians. The Janjaweed killed villagers and burnt their homes. They are also accused of raping women and torturing captives.
The United Nations agencies estimate that 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Darfur, and 2.5 million have fled their homes. Sudan denies the death toll is that high.

The three citizens of Latvia, Artjoms Nalbandjans, Janis Gindra and Kaspars Reihlers, who work for the UN World Food Program, were kidnapped in Darfur on Nov. 4. The three are employees of the Latvian helicopter company GM Helicopters, which is currently operating in Sudan as part of the United Nations’ World Food Program.