Two civilian staff from the United Nations-African Union mission in Sudan's Darfur region (UNAMID) have been released after being held hostage for over three months.

The Nigerian man and Zimbabwean woman are reported to be in good health. The Sudanese foreign ministry says the hostage takers were after ransom but that no money was paid.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon phoned Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir last month to ask him to work for the release of the two hostages. The request was made despite a warrant from the International Criminal Court in The Hague for Mr al-Bashir's arrest. The Sudanese president promised to help.

UNAMID has been operating in Darfur since 2008. Before that time, there was an African Union peace mission. About 19,000 people are currently working in the UNAMID mission.

photo: UNAMID in western Darfur (flickr / Genocide Intervention Network)