Sudan finds two remaining Chinese hostages one alive and another dead
October 31, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese police have found alive one of the kidnapped Chinese oil workers and another dead in south-western Sudan, a press statement published in Khartoum said Friday.
Nine Chinese oil workers, three engineers and six other workers employed by the China National Petroleum Corporation in South Kordofan were kidnapped on October 18. Four were killed and three were injured in alleged clashes with the kidnappers.
Earlier this week after the killing of three hostages, the Sudanese officials said they would stop negotiations with the kidnappers and would keep their search operations for the remaining hostages. Khartoum blamed the rebel Justice and Equality Movement for the kidnapping.
Also Sudanese authorities dismissed reports that the Chinese oil workers were killed following fighting with military units that tried to rescue them. The undersecretary at the Foreign Ministry, Mutrif Siddiq said that kidnappers started to shoot randomly and shot the Chinese workers when a security helicopter overhead the group.
Nonetheless, Sudanese officials ultimately acknowledged that there were clashes between security troops and the kidnappers during a rescue attempt.
Interior Minister Ibrahim Hamed was quoted in the Al-Ray Al-Am daily on Friday as saying the four were killed in an exchange of fire between Sudanese troops and the kidnappers.
The head of the kidnappers, Abu Humaid Ahmed Dannay had told the London based Asharq Al-Awsat last week that they are ready to release the 9 abducted Chinese but they want the Chinese companies leave the area.
However, in a statement to the same daily newspaper published today, Dannay said the Chinese oil workers were killed by the Sudanese army and local militias after they had agreed with the mediators to deliver them to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement of the First Vice President Salva Kiir.
He added that they had no any intention other than drawing the attention to the need for development of their region.
The killings were some of the worst attacks against Chinese interests abroad as China expands businesses worldwide to buy energy and other raw materials or find new markets.
(ST)