Three members of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) — Doctors Without Borders — humanitarian aid group are set to be released within hours, a Sudanese foreign ministry head confirmed. Though an earlier statement issued by MSF claimed the hostages abducted on Wednesday, March 11th had already been freed, head of protocol with the ministry Ali Youssef Ahmed has said that negotiations are still ongoing.

The trio, since identified as Laura Archer, Mauro D’Ascanio and Raphael Meonier, were taken at gunpoint from their office in Saraf Umra; Mr. Ahmed assured the agency that the Canadian nurse, Italian doctor and French administrator have come to no harm. The group is accused of spying by Khartoum, claims which have been firmly denied by the captives, but authorities in Sudan believe that the kidnapping was financially motivated, in hopes of a ransom.

Following the abduction of the three, MSF relocated its remaining humanitarian group to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, Thursday; Sudan recently ordered the withdrawal of over a dozen aid organizations following a warrant indicting President Omar al-Bashir earlier this month. The abduction of the three Western aid workers is seemingly the first incident of the sort in years, in spite of the area being renowned for banditry.

The UN has criticized the Sudanese decision to expel the humanitarian organizations, claiming that lives are being put at unnecessary risk.

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