64 detainees of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) who had been held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been released, a humanitarian organization said Monday.
In a statement seen by Radio Tamazuj, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it facilitated the release of the detainees on Monday, pointing out that the released persons were transported from Khartoum to Wad Madani following a request from the parties to the conflict for the ICRC to act as a neutral intermediary.
“The ICRC’s main goal is to guarantee that any release operation serves the best interests of the detainees, such as facilitating their reunion with their families,” said Pierre Dorbes, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Sudan. “We are prepared to act as a neutral intermediary for the release of more detainees.”
The ICRC extends its services to all parties involved in the conflict to play the role of a neutral intermediary in the release of detainees.
Since the fighting erupted in April, the ICRC said it has facilitated the release and transfer of 292 persons detained in relation to the conflict in Sudan.
Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted on April 15 over tensions linked to a planned transition to civilian rule. It has devastated Khartoum’s capital and sparked ethnically driven attacks in the Darfur region.
The army and its rival paramilitary force resumed peace talks in Saudi Arabia on Sunday in a new push to end the nearly seven-month conflict.