Sudan rebels free 125 prisoners

Sudanese rebels on Sunday released at least 125 prisoners they had captured in fi ghting with government forces, most of them soldiers, an AFP journalist said. Th eir release was secured thanks to mediation from Uganda, while the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) played a facilitating role. Th e rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) had captured the prisoners in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, where the group has been fi ghting Sudanese government forces for years. Th e longest-held prisoners had been captured in June 2009 and the most recent about six months ago. While the ICRC said 125 people had been freed, Sudanese military spokesperson Brigadier Ahmed Khalifa al-Shami put the number at 127 – including 109 soldiers and 18 civilians. “Th e Sudanese army recognises this as a positive step towards achieving peace in the country,” Shami said in a statement. Ethnic minority rebels in Blue Nile and South Kordofan have been fi ghting government forces since 2011, accusing President Omar alBashir’s Arab-dominated government of politically and economically marginalising the two regions

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