Guinea work trip turns to 100 days in prison for UK pair
"We were threatened with all kinds of abuse," said Mr Inch, who works as a mountain bike guide, water safety officer, and as a volunteer with the Aberglaslyn Mountain Rescue.He described the conditions in the Conakry prison as "horrific", with 80 men sharing a toilet and shower."Sleeping through the night you'd have rats and mice and cockroaches crawling over your body," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.Mr Inch said the water was contaminated so they washed with a disinfectant and were concerned about becoming unwell.He explained how he and his colleague had believed they "had the right permissions to be [in Guinea]... and then quickly found out that we hadn't"."We were in court and then told 'you're going to prison'," he said.
Mr Perham said: "We had to literally fear for our lives each day. "After we had been there for two months, the UK ambassador walked us to the prison gate, believing we were finally being released but a phone call to the prosecutor stopped it. "We had to turn around and walk straight back in for another month. It was devastating."
After their release on 11 April, the pair were stuck in Guinea for 42 more days.Mr Inch's partner, Cheryl Potter, said: "Every single day has been a constant battle worrying about him."Mr Inch has thanked his supporters, the British Embassy and his local MP, Liz Saville Roberts, for their help to get them home.
'A nightmare'
Ms Saville-Roberts said the organisation that hired the pair had informed Guinean authorities that Mr Inch and Mr Perham "had no role in operating the balloon, no knowledge of its technical contents, and no involvement in its flight or descent". "Their assignment was purely logistical: retrieving equipment under the understanding that all permissions had been granted," said the Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd."This has been a nightmare for the two men and their families and friends who have been focused, resourceful and determined to ensure that never a day went by without seeking their release."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
Sudan war: Children dying of hunger in Darfur's el-Fasher city
The women at the community kitchen in the besieged Sudanese city of el-Fasher are sitting in huddles of desperation."Our children are dying before our eyes," one of them tells the BBC. "We don't know what to do. They are innocent. They have nothing to do with the army or [its paramilitary rival] the Rapid Support Forces. Our suffering is worse than what you can imagine."Food is so scarce in el-Fasher that prices have soared to the point where money that used to cover a week's worth of meals can now buy only one. International aid organisations have condemned the "calculated use of starvation as a weapon of war".The BBC has obtained rare footage of people still trapped in the city, sent to us by a local activist and filmed by a freelance Sudanese army has been battling the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for more than two years after their commanders jointly staged a coup, and then fell in the western Darfur region, is one of the most brutal frontlines in the conflict. The hunger crisis is compounded by a surge of cholera sweeping through the squalid camps of those displaced by the fighting, which escalated this week into one of the most intense RSF attacks on the city paramilitaries tightened their 14-month blockade after losing control of the capital Khartoum earlier this year, and stepped up their battle for el-Fasher, the last foothold of the armed forces in the north and centre of the country where the army has wrestled back territory from the RSF, food and medical aid have begun to make a dent in civilian suffering. But the situation is desperate in the conflict zones of western and southern war: A simple guide to what is happeningAt the Matbakh-al-Khair communal kitchen in el-Fasher late last month, volunteers turned ambaz into a porridge. This is the residue of peanuts after the oil has been extracted, normally fed to it is possible to find sorghum or millet but on the day of filming, the kitchen manager says: "There is no flour or bread." "Now we've reached the point of eating ambaz. May God relieve us of this calamity, there's nothing left in the market to buy," he UN has amplified its appeal for a humanitarian pause to allow food convoys into the city, with its Sudan envoy Sheldon Yett once more demanding this week that the warring sides observe their obligations under international army has given clearance for the trucks to proceed but the UN is still waiting for official word from the paramilitary advisers have said they believed the truce would be used to facilitate the delivery of food and ammunition to the army's "besieged militias" inside have also claimed the paramilitary group and its allies were setting up "safe routes" for civilians to leave the responders in el-Fasher can receive some emergency cash via a digital banking system, but it does not go very far."The prices in the markets have exploded," says Mathilde Vu, advocacy manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council. "Today, $5,000 [£3,680] covers one meal for 1,500 people in a single day. Three months ago, the same amount could feed them for an entire week."Doctors say people are dying of malnutrition. It is impossible to know how many - one report quoting a regional health official put the number at more than 60 last week. Hospitals cannot cope. Few are still operating. They have been damaged by shelling and are short of medical supplies to help both the starving, and those injured in the continual bombardment."We have many malnourished children admitted in hospital but unfortunately there is no single sachet of [therapeutic food]," says Dr Ibrahim Abdullah Khater, a paediatrician at the Al Saudi Hospital, noting that the five severely malnourished children currently in the ward also have medical complications. "They are just waiting for their death," he hunger crises hit, those who usually die first are the most vulnerable, the least healthy or those suffering from pre-existing conditions."The situation, it is so miserable, it is so catastrophic," the doctor tells us in a voice message. "The children of el-Fasher are dying on a daily basis due to lack of food, lack of medicine. Unfortunately, the international community is just watching."International non-governmental organisations working in Sudan issued an urgent statement this week declaring that "sustained attacks, obstruction of aid and targeting of critical infrastructure demonstrate a deliberate strategy to break the civilian population through hunger, fear, and exhaustion".They said that "anecdotal reports of recent food hoarding for military use add to the suffering of civilians"."There is no safe passage out of the city, with roads blocked and those attempting to flee facing attacks, taxation at checkpoints, community-based discrimination and death," the organisations of thousands of people did flee in recent months, many from the Zamzam displaced persons camp at the edge of el-Fasher, seized by the RSF in April. They arrive in Tawila, a town 60km (37 miles) west of the city, weak and dehydrated, with accounts of violence and extortion along the road from RSF-allied is safer in the crowded camps, but they are stalked by disease - most deadly of all: cholera. It is caused by polluted water and has killed hundreds in Sudan, triggered by the destruction of water infrastructure and lack of food and medical care, and made worse by flooding due to the rainy season. Unlike el-Fasher, in Tawila aid workers at least have access, but their supplies are limited, says John Joseph Ocheibi, the on-site project coordinator for a group called The Alliance for International Medical Action."We have shortages in terms of [washing facilities], in terms of medical supplies, to be able to deal with this situation," he tells the BBC. "We are mobilizing resources to see how best we can be able to respond."Sylvain Penicaud of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) estimates there are only three litres of water per person per day in the camps, which, he says, is "way below the basic need, and forces people to get water from contaminated sources".Zubaida Ismail Ishaq is lying in the tent clinic. She is seven months pregnant, gaunt and exhausted. Her story is a tale of trauma told by tells us she used to trade when she had a little money, before fleeing el-Fasher. Her husband was captured by armed men on the road to Tawila. Her daughter has a head injury. Zubaida and her mother came down with cholera shortly after arriving in the camp."We drink water without boiling it," she says. "We have no-one to get us water. Since coming here, I have nothing left."Back in el-Fasher we hear appeals for help from the women clustered at the soup kitchen - any kind of help."We're exhausted. We want this siege lifted," says Faiza Abkar Mohammed. "Even if they airdrop food, airdrop anything - we're completely exhausted." You may also be interested in: 'I lost a baby and then rescued a child dodging air strikes in Sudan's civil war'Oil-rich Sudanese region becomes new focus of war between army and rival forcesSudan in danger of self-destructing as conflict and famine reign Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Family of teenage US Navy sailor pay tribute after he was declared lost at sea
The family of a teenage sailor in the U.S. Navy have paid tribute after he was declared lost at sea. Jose Antonio Rivera Lynch IV was serving on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and is believed to have gone overboard after he went missing on July 28. Officials scaled roughly 2,200 square miles in the Timor Sea off the coast of Australia for nearly two days in a desperate search for the 19 year-old. The search for the mariner involved a cooperative effort with helicopters, a destroyer, numerous aircraft, and patrol boats – all deployed by the U.S. Navy as well as Australian Defence and Border Force officials. His body has not been found. Rivera Lynch, who served as Aviation Boatswain's Mate, was responsible for launch and recovery equipment, enlisted in the Navy in June last year and reported to the George Washington in January. His grieving family have launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral service. 'Jose was more than a sailor – he was a loving son, a cherished brother, and a loyal friend whose laughter and light touched everyone around him,' his family wrote. 'His sudden loss has left our family heartbroken and navigating the unimaginable grief of losing someone so young and full of promise.' Just 12 hours before he was reported missing, Rivera Lynch had spoken to his parents. 'We noticed the tiredness, we noticed that, and then he said, 'I love you guys,' ' the sailor's father Juan Antonio Rivera III told News4Jax. 'I said, 'You're the best of me. You've been to places I've never been, and we are so proud of you.' 'That was the last thing I said to my son.' Rivera Lynch followed the footsteps of his sister, father, and grandfather, who all served in the military. 'At just 19 years old, Jose faithfully served his country with honor, courage, and an unwavering commitment to protecting others,' his family wrote. The U.S. Navy also paid tribute to the young seaman. 'Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of our shipmate, Airman Rivera Lynch,' said Capt. Tim Waits, commanding officer, USS George Washington. 'I am sincerely grateful for the support and coordination from all units who assisted in the search effort, including our partners from the Australian Defence Force and Border Force.' The sailor's family held a memorial earlier this month, and he will be honored during a funeral and memorial service by the U.S. Navy in September in Yokosuka, Japan, reports The Post.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
The Medieval Brits with West African ancestry: Bodies buried in 7th–century England show Britain was more DIVERSE in the Middle Ages than we thought
Two people buried in early medieval England had West African ancestry, experts have revealed, in a discovery that rewrites British history. The find provides the first direct evidence of a connection between Britain and Africa in the seventh century, more than 1,300 years ago. Archaeologists made the discovery after analysing DNA from a girl who had been buried in Kent and a young man laid to rest in Dorset. Both had recent ancestors, likely grandparents, from West Africa, the experts said. And in both cases, the individuals had been laid to rest as typical members of the local community – suggesting they were valued by the societies in which they lived. 'Our results emphasise the cosmopolitan nature of England in the early medieval period, pointing to a diverse population with far–flung connections who were, nonetheless, fully integrated into the fabric of daily life,' Dr Ceiridwen Edwards, from the University of Huddersfield, said. For both individuals, the mitochondrial DNA inherited from their mothers was northern European. But the autosomal DNA, inherited from both parents, showed strong genetic links to present–day Yoruba, Mende, Mandenka and Esan groups from sub–Saharan West Africa – thousands of miles away. Further investigation suggests they both had one grandparent from their father's side from West Africa. The girl, buried in Updown in Kent, was found with several items including a pot possibly imported from Frankish Gaul – an area that encompasses present–day France, Belgium and Luxembourg – and a spoon that could indicate the individual's Christian faith. The Updown cemetery was part of Kent's royal network and these goods point to the area's continental connections. Meanwhile the man unearthed at Worth Matravers, in Dorset, was buried alongside a British male and an anchor made of local limestone. 'Kent has always been a conduit for influence from the adjacent continent and this was particularly marked in the sixth century,' Professor Duncan Sayer, from the University of Lancashire, said. On the other hand, Dorset sat 'on the fringes of continental influence'. 'The archaeological evidence suggests a marked and notable cultural divide between Dorset and areas to the west, and the Anglo–Saxon influenced areas to the East,' Dr Edwards explained. Both discoveries, published in the journal Antiquity, add a new dimension to understanding long–distance movement and interaction involving Britain during the Early Middle Ages. 'What is fascinating about these two individuals is that this international connection is found in both the east and west of Britain,' Professor Sayer added. Early medieval England, spanning roughly from the fifth to the 11th centuries, was characterised by a predominantly rural society. Most people lived in small, self–sufficient villages with agriculture being the primary occupation. Social structure was hierarchical, with a ruling class of nobles and a large peasant population who worked on the land. The period also saw the rise of Anglo–Saxon kingdoms, the influence of Christianity, and eventually, Viking incursions and settlements. What was life like in Medieval society? There were few large towns, and most people lived in villages. The majority of people were peasants who worked on the land owned by a local lord. If people wanted to move or get married they needed the permission of the lord first. Peasant homes were small, often a one–room hut with a hearth in the centre. Animals tended to live in huts with their owners. Furniture was sparse, usually consisting of just a few stools, a trunk for bedding and a few cooking pots. Women in peasant families learned to spin wool from an early age, using wooden wheels to make clothes. Rather than going to school, children spent more of their time helping their parents with jobs in the house, looking after animals and growing food. People attended church every Sunday.
