Last week Al Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for taking six Sudanese embassy workers hostage. With the claim of responsibility, a demand was released stating Sudan should cut off all contact with the Iraqi government for release of the hostages. This demand is designed to try to delegitimize the Iraqi government, the same demand used by Al Qaida in Iraq for two years.

Surely Sudan wouldn’t cave into the demands of a terrorist group, right? Wrong.

“A statement was issued by the Sudanese government to close the embassy in Iraq to win the release of our kidnapped citizens,” the embassy’s charge d’affairs, Mohamed Ahmed Khalil, told The Associated Press. He added that the embassy’s 12 employees would leave on Monday.

Today was the deadline for the Sudanese withdrawal from contact with the Iraqi government. Supposedly Al Qaida in Iraq will release the hostages after Sudan has agreed to close their embassy in Iraq. I don’t see that happening because it makes far too much sense for Al Qaida in Iraq to keep at least one hostage to ensure Sudan will stay out of Iraq in the future. Since Sudan has already bowed to the demands of a terrorist group, why not ask for something elese?

Through the string of kidnappings in Iraq, there have been those who have stood firm against the demands of Al Qaida in Iraq, knowing all too well the terrorist group will do what they want with the hostages regardless what is done to appease them. Then there have been the Philipines and now Sudan, caving into the demands by paying ransoms or complying with the request ensuring more hostages will be taken hostage in the future. It is one thing for a company to pay a ransom or comply with the demands, but it is quite another for a government to do so. A government is supposed to think about the welfare of the whole, not the individual.

Update:
The BBC reports the hostages have been released, which is great news. I just don’t like how they went about getting them released.