Egypt hails release of abducted oil workers in Sudan

November 20, 2007 (CAIRO) — The Egyptian Foreign Ministry welcomed on Tuesday the release of Egyptian engineer Joseph William who was kidnapped in South Kordofan State two weeks ago by a rebel group.

The Egyptian is one of five engineers — three Sudanese and one Iraqi — were seized by Darfur rebels of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) during a raid on the Defra oil field in October. The rebels said they meant to send a message to China to stop funding the Sudanese government through its oil industry.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Egyptian ambassador in Khartoum, Mohamed Abdelmoneim al-Shazli, was on hand at Khartoum airport last night to receive the released petroleum engineer.

Two weeks ago the rebel JEM said it will release the abducted oil engineers after the humanitarian intervention by the Egyptian authorities.

The five men had been working on the Defra oil field, run by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company consortium. China’s CNPC has the biggest stake in the group alongside India’s ONGC, Malaysia’s Petronas and Sudan’s state-owned Sudapet.

(ST)