Voice recording of kidnapped Hungarian peacekeeper

Experts at the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) analyze the recording of a telephone interview with a Hungarian peacekeeper kidnapped in the Sudan to make sure that the voice heard there is that of István Papp.

Retired lieutenant colonel István Papp, the Hungarian member of UNAMID, the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in the war-torn Darfur region of the Sudan was forced into a car by four armed men on October 7th.

Now, a telephone interview has been aired on the local station ‘Dabanga’ in which a man introducing himself as István Papp said that he was held at a camp-like place with about a hundred people around in uniform. He added he was afraid that his captors might hurt or kill him and that he might contract malaria since there are sick people around him.

The Hungary’s UN  Representation Office in New York City reported that UNDSS considers it a positive sign that that the kidnappers came forward via this radio station as in the previous kidnapping case – that ended with the freeing of the hostages –, the kidnappers also used this channel. The captors gave a reason for their action by saying that it was meant to be calling the attention of the Sudanese government and the world to a pyramid scheme that brought great poverty to the population of the region.