Assistant Foreign Minister for Sudanese Affairs Mohamed Awad said the mediation efforts made by Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr over the past few days have succeeded in releasing the 13 Sudanese prisoners who were captured by South Sudanese forces in the fighting that erupted in the Heglig region between the two sides.
Amr had asked the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, during his visit to Juba on 16 April to release the prisoners as a goodwill gesture, which Kiir immediately agreed to. The visit also managed to defuse the crisis and pave the way for peaceful negotiations between the two sides.
Awad added that the prisoners arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to fly to Khartoum in the next few hours.
Amr also received a call from his French counterpart, Alain Juppe, discussing the latest developments in the Sudanese conflict.
Amr briefed Juppe on his contacts on Tuesday in Addis Ababa to resolve the crisis.
Edited translation from MENA
