The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has postponed an operation scheduled for 23 and 24 June, to transfer detainees held by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, to the Sudanese authorities in Khartoum.  

After months of negotiations and preparations, all parties involved asked the ICRC to conduct this operation, allowing it to use its planes. Unfortunately, the final authorization to take off on the said dates was not granted, and the operation has been postponed to a later date.

The ICRC calls on all parties involved to continue working together to allow the concerned detainees to return home to their families as soon as possible

Acting as neutral intermediary is central to ICRC’s mandate, and it stands ready to provide this humanitarian service at all times.

Since 2012, the ICRC has facilitated the repatriation of 32 prisoners of war released by the governments of Sudan and South Sudan. It has also facilitated the handover of Sudanese and foreign detainees released by armed opposition groups in Darfur.