Rights Group Sees Surge in Release of Slaves

More than 14,550 slaves in Sudan have been freed in the last six months as international peace initiatives in the country make progress, a human rights group said.

In a statement, Swiss-based Christian Solidarity International called the mass liberation a breakthrough in its campaign to abolish the enslavement of blacks from the south.

Arab chiefs in the northern Kordofan region arranged the release of slaves in their chieftainships, it said.

The rights group usually pays Arab “retrievers” to free the slaves, but a representative said recent peace accords paved the way for returning slaves without compensation.