The drama of 11 kidnapped tourists has ended, though what exactly happened remains unclear, reports Mohamed Safwat On 29 September kidnappers cocked their weapons after ordering eight Egyptian guides, abducted together with 11 European hostages on 19 September, to line up. The abductors then ordered them into a single 4x4 vehicle and told them to leave. Crammed in one Jeep, the 19 hostages drove 380 kilometres with no spare tyre, no food and very little water. After a desperate journey of 15 hours they managed to reach an Egyptian border guard post. "It was a miracle. We were rescued by God," said one driver, who preferred to remain anonymous. "We don't know why they freed us but we didn't see any counter forces." The driver's tale, along with the stories of other hostages who have spoken to Arab, German and Italian media outlets, provided details which were not mentioned in the official version that involves helicopters and special forces helping free the hostages. An official statement from the Defence Ministry said that half the kidnappers were killed in a commando operation. The day before their release Sudanese soldiers are said to have encountered eight of the kidnappers, apparently sent to get fuel and food. In a gun battle six of the kidnappers were killed and two captured, say Egyptian and Sudanese officials. The pair then told their captors where the captives were. The five Germans, five Italians, a Romanian and eight Egyptians were abducted during a desert safari to the Gilf Al-Kebir plateau in southwestern Egypt. While Egyptian officials said that the German authorities were taking part in ransom negotiations with the kidnappers the one thing conflicting accounts agree on is that no ransom was paid. When the tour group reached the Egyptian border it was met by border guards who drew their guns, believing they were the kidnappers, says guide Sherif Farouk Mohamed. "They pointed their weapons at us and we were waving our hands trying to tell them that we were the hostages." The final drive to safety came after more than a week of being dragged across the northwestern Sudanese desert by their kidnappers. The captives were eventually abandoned somewhere near the Sudanese-Chadian border. Most of the kidnappers were bored teenagers, one hostage said. "They kept saying: 'Where's our money so we can leave?' It was obvious they didn't have the nerve to kill us. They were children, about 15 or 16 years old, with some older men." The group was abducted when they were repairing one of their vehicles. Gunmen in SUVs stormed up, forced them to kneel at gunpoint, then looted their belongings. The kidnappers, believed to be Sudanese or Chadian tribesmen, took their captives and vehicles across the border into Sudan. Egyptian and Sudanese soldiers then began scouring the remote area of northwest Sudan as the gunmen moved the tourists from place to place. The only person physically mistreated is reported to have been the Egyptian police officer escorting the group. The kidnappers demanded up to $15 million in ransom. Negotiations were conducted via the satellite phone of the Egyptian head of the tour company who was among the kidnapped.
