CAIRO: According to media reports, the 19 tourists and Egyptians abducted from Gilf Al-Kabir Friday Sept. 19 have been moved to Libya, Sudanese officials said. Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ali Yussef said that the hostages had been taken 13 km into Libyan territory, but no corroborating statement has emerged from any Egyptian source. "The Libyan authorities have been informed, they are now following the progress of the group, Yussef said. He added that the kidnappers were probably members of a rebel group from Darfur and roads into the area had been closed off. The news was confirmed by Italian Foreign Minister Franc Frattini who told Italian news agency AGI, "I spoke with the Libyans, they are evaluating but have not excluded that the news is true, I favor the correctness of this news. It has also been reported that German negotiators have initiated direct contact with the kidnappers, who are demanding a ?6 million ransom. The kidnappers reportedly insist that Germany should pay the entire ransom despite there being Italians, Egyptians and a Romanian in the contingent. The hostages appear to be safe according to a source at the tour operator of the trip, but a release date is as of yet unknown. Fatma Hussain from Aegyptus Intertravel told Daily News Egypt Thursday that the hostages were "fine. Aegyptus Intertravel is the tour operator responsible for the safari during which the kidnapping occurred and whose owner, Ibrahim Abdel Rahim, was also abducted, "They are doing very well, she said but when queried on if their release was imminent Hussain said, "There is information that we cannot reveal now because of instructions from higher authorities but God willing we will see them all soon. Hussain also confirmed that it is Abdel Rahim who is the conduit of contact with the outside world, intermittently calling his wife and business partner Kirsten Butterweck-Abdel Rahim. Reuters reported that the kidnapping had been preceded by acts of banditry in the area, quoting guides stating that newcomers in gun-mounted pickups had begun to appear since last winter. Those new arrivals are believed to either be rebel groups from Darfur in Western Sudan or armed groups from Chad. Those abducted included five Germans, five Italians (three women and two men) and one Romanian. Of the eight Egyptians, four were drivers, two were tour guides, one was a border guard and the final one was the owner of the travel company responsible for the safari.
