Sudanese rebel in the oil-rich border state of South Kordofan confirmed on Sunday that they were holding 29 Chinese workers hostage to ensure their safety following a battle with the Sundanes army.
Both sides have been embroiled in a long standing battle in South Kordan, a town which sits on the border between Sudan and the newly independent South Sudan.
“We are holding 29 Chinese workers after a battle with the army yesterday,” a spokesman for the SPLM-N said. “They are in good health. We are holding them for their own safety because the army was trying to strike again.”
The army said rebels had attacked the compound of a Chinese construction company and captured 70 civilians. “Most of them are Chinese. They are targeting civilians,” said army spokesman Sawarmi Khalid Saad.
The spokesman assured that the army was working to rescue the captured civilians.
