Thursday, April 30, 2009

Two Aid Workers Freed in Darfur

Good news from Sudan, where two aid workers kidnapped in the perilous Darfur region have been freed by their captors. Via National Post:
Two Canadians being held hostage in different parts of Africa have reportedly been freed, apparently ending the women's ordeals in Sudan's war-ravaged Darfur region and in Nigeria, officials said Wednesday.

Canadian aid worker Stephanie Jodoin and her colleague, French national Claire Dubois, were in good health after being released following more than three weeks in captivity, a senior official in Sudan's foreign ministry told Agence France-Presse.

"The Sudanese government confirms their release. They are in good health, in good shape," Ali Yussef said, according to the news service. "They will arrive in the evening [in Khartoum]."

Ms. Jodoin was seized on April 4 from her office in Ed el-Fursan, south of Nyala, about 100 kilometres from the Chadian border.

Meanwhile, a Canadian woman kidnapped two weeks ago in northern Nigeria was released late on Wednesday, the Canadian government said.

Thank God for this good news, and please continue to pray for the safety of the other hostages in Africa and around the world, and for the protection of aid workers who try to bring hope to some of the most wretched parts of the world.

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