Edito

Since 2003, Darfur is the stage of a convoluted civil war that has already caused 300.000 deaths, according to the United Nations estimates (10.000 according to Khartoum), and 2.7 million displaced people.

On top of the original conflict between rebel factions and pro-governmental forces built the fighting between rival Arab tribes and an escalation of banditry and hostage taking aimed at humanitarian or UN members of staff.

Two humanitarians, for instance, were kidnapped on June 23, on the premises of their agency in Nyala, the metropolis of Darfur.
This series of abductions has obliged most NGOs to pack up and leave. Others have frozen their aid programmes. Others operate at a distance and never go into the field although our job is to work besides populations living in areas where the traditional chiefs have lost the authority and means to look after for their people.

As with profit-making companies, we are advised to take out special insurance for our humanitarian workers. The captors would then be sure to receive payment of the ransom - and would no doubt harden their methods towards the hostages to further coerce the negotiators.
In such situations, utter firmness and determination is essential. Buckling under pressure, giving in to blackmail and accepting the kidnappers’ claims can only encourage a hunt for expatriates although Sudan is incapable of stopping the abductions of foreign workers.

Our policy is to refuse to pay a ransom, to go through the standard paths of dialogue, persuasion and peaceful resolution. Making exceptions to this policy could compromise everybody’s safety and our capacity to work in the conflict zones and other sensitive areas of many countries.