China says nine oil workers kidnapped in southern Sudan
By Vasilije Gallak on Oct 20, 2008 in Featured, Sudan
Beijing – Nine Chinese oil workers have been kidnapped by an unknown group in Sudan, state media said on Monday.
The nine workers were seized at an oil field in Southern Kordofan State close to Sudan’s strife-torn Darfur region, the official Xinhua news agency quoted Chinese embassy officials as saying.
No group had claimed responsibility for kidnapping the workers, who were employees of the China National Petroleum Corporation, the agency reported from Khartoum.
The Chinese embassy had implemented its emergency procedure and “held intensive contacts and consultations with the Sudanese authorities” in an effort to secure the release of the workers, it quoted an embassy spokesman as saying. (dpa)