Aid workers released in Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Two aid workers from Ireland and Uganda -- kidnapped by militants in Darfur, Sudan, July 3 -- have been released, officials said Sunday.

The workers' release came after Ireland's foreign minister met last month with top Sudanese officials, said John O'Shea of Goal, an Ireland-based aid agency that has been working in Darfur for 23 years.

Hostilities toward foreign aid workers have increased since Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir ordered the expulsion of some aid groups earlier this year, CNN reported Sunday. Bashir ordered the expulsions after being indicted by the International Criminal Court on war crime charges.

An estimated 300,000 people have been killed in Darfur and more than 3 million displaced since 2003 in fighting between rebels and Arab militias with ties to the government.

The violence has included widespread torture, rape and burning of villages, human rights groups said.