Kidnapped men 'are Jordanian'
2010-08-15 14:26
Amman - The two police advisers deployed with the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force (UNAMID) who were kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region are both Jordanians, the government spokesperson said on Sunday.
The two officers were seized on Saturday in Nyala, capital of South Darfur state, UNAMID had said in an earlier statement, without giving the nationalities of the two men.
"Two (Jordanian) general security officers who are participating in the UN mission in Darfur were abducted by armed men at 07:00 on Saturday," said Jordanian government spokesperson Ali Ayed, quoted by the Petra news agency.
UNAMID had said the two officers were abducted by three gunmen in a 4x4 vehicle on Saturday as they were walking towards a transport dispatch point.
It was the third time since August 2009 that UNAMID has been the target of an abduction in the volatile region of Darfur.
Civil war
In April four South African peacekeepers were abducted in Darfur, and two other members of UNAMID were seized in August last year. All of them were freed unharmed.
Darfur has been gripped by civil war since 2003 that has left 300 000 people dead and 2.7 million displaced, according to the United Nations. Khartoum says 10 000 have been killed in the conflict.
The vast western Sudanese region has seen a wave of kidnappings of foreign aid workers since March 2009 when the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Saturday's kidnappings bring the number of foreigners seized there since March 2009 to 19, including 10 Westerners.
All were subsequently released except an American aid worker with the Samaritan's Purse group who was abducted in May. She is still being held by her kidnappers who have demanded a ransom before she is freed.
