One-Time Bronxville Resident Released After Being Held Hostage in Sudan

A 35-year-old aid worker was released Monday after having been kidnapped and held captive in Sudan since May, according to Samaritan's Purse, the organization for which she worked.

Flavia Wagner, who is said to have lived in Bronxville, was held captive for a total of 105 days.

On May 18, Wagner and two Sudanese men—one who was working for the organization and a driver—were taken hostage.

"The two-vehicle convoy was stopped by eight armed men 15 miles southwest of Nyala in Sudan's Darfur region," according to a news release. The two Sudanese men were released on May 25.

Ken Isaacs, the vice president of programs and government relations for Samaritan's Purse said that the organization was notified by government of Sudan officials on Sunday night of Wagner's possible release on Monday. 

"We were on alert throughout the night and we had folks that went out to receive her on Monday morning," he said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Isaacs said that Wagner indicated to him that she had been treated well and respectfully and that she was appreciative of that.

He said that she is still in Sudan, but will be leaving in the next day or two.

"I think she's in good condition and I think she's looking forward to being with her family," he said, noting that he had spoken with her on Tuesday night.

According to Isaacs, Wagner was managing the organization's education programs in South Darfur, which included setting up and resourcing primary and secondary schools.

Based in North Carolina, Samaritan's Purse is a non-profit Christian organization that provides emergency relief and development work in some 100 countries around the world annually, including Sudan and Haiti.

Currently, the organization has are over 500 national and international staff in Sudan, according to the release.