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Kidnapped Irish aid worker set free

Kidnapped Irish aid worker set free – 17 Oct 2009

Two kidnapped aid workers from the Irish aid agency GOAL were released this morning in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region after more than 100 days in captivity, a government official said.

Sharon Commins (32), from Clontarf, and her colleague Hilda Kawuki (42), a nutritionist from Uganda, were abducted at gunpoint after armed men stormed their compound in the north Darfur town of Kutum on July 3rd last.

“They were released earlier this morning,” Sudan’s state minister for humanitarian affairs, Abdel Baqi al-Jailani, said.

‘It is a real relief to know that Sharon and Hilda are free’ says Reuben Coulter, Chief Executive of Tearfund Ireland ‘Our prayers have been answered’

Sharon was a colleague of Reuben during the 2 years he worked with GOAL as operations manager for North Sudan.

Tearfund in Darfur

Reuben Coulter, Chief Executive of Tearfund Ireland, worked with Tearfund’s Disaster Management Team (DMT) in Darfur for almost 2 years as a public health manager. ‘Two of my Sudanese staff were killed in a riot in the displaced-people’s camps in 2005’ says Reuben ‘Darfur is an extremely dangerous place and aid workers face daily risks to bring relief to the people.’

Tearfund’s Disaster Management Team (DMT) has been operating in Darfur since 2004. Last year, Tearfund’s teams provided over 137,000 people with access to clean water, and constructed sanitation facilities for around 50,000 people. Almost 100,000 women and children attended weekly health clubs, over 19,000 farmers received seeds and tools, over 6000 children were treated for malnutrition through Tearfund’s feeding centres and more than 26,000 at risk children were given food to prevent malnutrition.

2009 marks the sixth year of the recent conflict in Darfur. An estimated 200,000 people have been killed and over 2 million displaced. Two thirds of the population is dependent on aid for basic survival. There are about 250,000 refugees from Darfur currently living in Chad.

‘But for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my saviour; my God will hear me’ Micah 7: 7

Please pray for:

  • Recovery from the ordeal and peace for the families of both women .
  • The political will among the UN and other major governments to move the peace process forward in Darfur, for the establishment of justice and for the cessation of hostilities.
  • The protection of Tearfund and partner staff as they go about their daily work in a very insecure environment.
  • That Tearfund and other organisations would have the finances and resources to fill the gaps created by recently expelled aid organisations

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