Sudanese security forces have freed a Swiss aid worker who was kidnapped in Darfur last month in an overnight operation in the war-torn region, a Sudanese official said Wednesday. Her abduction was the first such reported incident in Darfur since the United Nations began scaling back its peacekeeping force in the region earlier this year.
The release of the aid worker, whose identity has not been revealed by Sudan or Swiss authorities, comes as the UN Security Council meets on Wednesday to assess the downsizing of the peacekeeping mission in Darfur. "Agents of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Services carried out an overnight operation and freed the Swiss aid worker from near Kutum" in North Darfur state, its deputy governor Mohamed Barima told AFP.
The Swiss authorities confirmed her release. "Her health, given the circumstances, is good," the Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement.