2 kidnapped Chinese engineers set free in Sudan

Two Chinese engineers, who were abducted by unidentified men in Sudan's West Kordofan State last April, have been released, according to a source at Chinese Embassy in Khartoum on Friday. "The two Chinese engineers were released due to efforts made by the Sudanese government and the Chinese embassy in Khartoum," the source told Xinhua. Sudanese local media earlier reported that an armed group, affiliated to the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), attacked Kanar oil field of the Sudanese Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC) at Balila town in West Kordofan State and abducted three engineers, including two Chinese and a Sudanese. Rebel groups have been active at the borders of Darfur and Kordofan regions in western Sudan where these groups often target vital projects such as the oil fields to put pressure on the central government in Khartoum.