KHARTOUM, Sudan, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The International Committee of the Red Cross said it checked on the condition of Sudanese military detainees held by an armed opposition group in Darfur.
The ICRC said rebels in Darfur released one of their Sudanese military prisoners because of an unspecified illness. He was transferred by helicopter to meet with his family and later placed in the care of Sudanese authorities.
"We are ready to facilitate further handovers, if all parties agree and request us to do so," said the ICRC's chief Sudanese delegate Jean-Christophe Sandoz in a statement Tuesday.
At least 100 people were killed during mid-August fighting between rival tribes in East Darfur state, one of the five western states that make up the troubled Darfur region.
Mohamed Ibn Chambas, head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission for Darfur, said the region was going through a "terrible ordeal."
The ICRC said it visited with a number of Sudanese soldiers held captive by rebel forces in Darfur. It didn't indicate how many were in custody but said it collected 17 messages for family members of the soldiers.
