Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO). [ photo / Axar.az]
Kenya will today hold talks with the South Sudan government in an effort to free two pilots that are being held hostage by the rebel group, Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO).
Kenya's ambassador to South Sudan Cleland Leshore has said that he will be holding talks with Sudan's Minister for Transport John Luk in Juba as they discuss on the way forward in the release of the hostage pilots.
The two pilots, Captain Frank Njoroge and co-pilot Kennedy Shamalla, were abducted on January 9 after the plane they were flying crushed in the rebel held area resulting to death of one woman and 11 cows. The passengers and the pilots suffered minor injuries.
The rebels allied to the former exiled vice president Riek Machar have however remained adamant to release the pilots as they are demanding to paid Sh 20 million for compensation of the damages caused by the accident.
"When the plane crashed, it took a life. There was a lady that was killed and also there were some animals killed. The relatives of the lady and the owners of the cow are complaining they want compensation," rebels' deputy spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel told Reuters on Tuesday.
It will be remembered that this is the second time Kenya will be engaging in talks with South Sudan to see the release of the two pilots after the first attempt proofed futile as the rebels maintained Sh 20 million compensation fee.