Updated 10:10 Philippines and Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Andreas Notter, Swiss ICRC (International Red Cross) worker in the Philippines who has been hostage for three months, was freed by government soldiers who attacked the town on the island of Sulu where he and Italian ICRC employee Eugenio Vagni have been held by rebels. (Ed. note: click on image to view map larger. Sulu is in southwestern Philippines.) The ICRC in Geneva confirmed the news Saturday morning 18 April but provided no details.
Notter is unharmed, but the ICRC and Philippines authorities are providing no news of Vagni. It is unclear if the military attack caught the ICRC by surprise: Thursday 16 April the ICRC published an interview with Alain Aeschlimann, who is ICRC head of operations for East Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific. Aeschlimann talked about the lengthy and complex negotiations to try to obtain the release of the two men, captured by rebels 15 January 2009.
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News story, GenevaLunch, 18 April 2009.
Filed under: International organizations
Tags: Andreas Notter, Eugenio Vagni, ICRC, International organizations, Philippines