ICRC transfers Sudanese army personnel freed by rebel group

Dar es Salaam- Tanzania (PANA) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross (I CRC) said Wednesday it has facilitated the liberation and transfer of 44 Sudanes e armed forces personnel to the Sudanese authorities in El Fasher, the capital ci t y of North Darfur State.
In a statement, ICRC said the detainees had been held by the rebel Justice and E quality Movement (JEM) and were released as part of the JEM's framework agreemen t with the Sudanese government signed in Doha last February.
''At the request of both sides, the ICRC agreed on purely humanitarian grounds t o serve as a neutral intermediary,'' said ICRC head of delegation in Sudan Jordi Raich Curco, who led the transfer operation.
''The ICRC does not take part in negotiations leading to the handover of detaine es but, when requested, it may help parties to a conflict with practical arrange m ents such as the provision of basic first aid, relief kits and transport,'' Curc o explained.
The ICRC said it received major logistical support from the World Food Programme (WFP) to bring a very complex operation to a successful end.
''The operation would not have been possible without support from the WFP, who p rovided three helicopters and their crews during the transfer operation,'' Curco added.
Operating in the troubled Darfur region since 2004, the ICRC provides assistance for victims of the armed conflict and other violence.