Two aid workers kidnapped in Darfur return home

Two kidnapped aid workers from the Irish agency Goal were released through negotiations and no ransom was paid, officials said on Monday as the two arrived in Khartoum.Sharon Commins, from Dublin, and Hilda Kawuki, from Uganda, were seized in their north Darfur compound by armed men in July. Ireland's foreign minister, praised the women for their courage and resilience and thanked the Sudanese government for its role in their release. Sudanese officials had been negotiating with the kidnappers through tribal elders. The government said no ransom had been paid and the two women were on their way to North Darfur's capital el-Fasher. Darfur has seen a wave of kidnappings in the past year, and aid workers working in the hostile region have had to step up security.