World Vision Aid Workers Released

Three World Vision aid workers abducted in southern Sudan last week have been released following successful negotiations with their militia captives.

Two aid workers, Ekkehard Forberg of German and Andrew Omwenga of Kenyan, were handed over to the Red Cross on Saturday. The third World Vision employee, Steffen Horstmeier of Germany, had been released last Thursday.

The workers were abducted during an attack by a government-backed militia on the town of Waat on July 29. Sadly, a forth World Vision employee, Charles Kibbe, was killed in the attack.

President of World Vision International Dean Hirsch says the released hostages appears to be in good health.

"Words cannot express the joy and relief of all World Vision staff, their families and supporters, following the safe return of the staff members who were held against their will for more than five days by a rebel group," he says.

Mr Hirsch says World Vision was grateful for the efforts undertaken by the United Nations, in conjunction with the German Foreign Ministry and other World Vision staff to secure the safe return of the hostages.

"On behalf of the 14,000 World Vision staff working in nearly 100 countries, I want to reiterate our sincere condolences to the widow and children of Charles Kibee. We grieve for them at this time of anguish and sorrow.

"The tragic incident underscores the importance of ensuring the safety and security of humanitarian workers," Mr Hirsch says.

World Vision started its work in Sudan in the 1970s. Most recently, World Vision's work in Waat and other districts in the Upper Nile region have focused on child malnutrition, immunisation, and primary health care. Communities in the Upper Nile face fluctuating droughts and floods, exacerbated by a precarious security situation as a result of civil war in Sudan.