Sudan accuses rebels of kidnapping aid workers in Darfur

Monday July 5th, 2004.

KHARTOUM, July 05, 2004 (dpa) -- The Sudanese government on Monday accused Darfur rebels of abducting 26 humanitarian staff working in the region with charity Save the Children UK & Ireland.

Sudan's Humanitarian Affairs Ministry stated in a press release that 26 aid workers went missing during an attack Sunday. The statement also indicated that there may have been casualties although no specific details were given.

The statement said that six relief vehicles and a large sum of money were also missing.

The incident reportedly occurred while the humanitarian staff were delivering aid to the Nada County in the Maleet area of northern Darfur.