Popular Front of Sudan claims abduction of oil engineers in West Kordofan

An armed group calling itself the Popular Front of Sudan has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of three foreign oil engineers during an attack on the Kanar oil field in West Kordofan on Friday. The leader of the group, Fadul Eisa, nicknamed Abu Keiaan, announced that the oil field is still under their control. He stressed that the foreign abductees (two Chinese and an Algerian) are in good health, saying that negotiations have been started with the Chinese authorities for their release. According to Eisa, eight members of the Sudanese security forces were killed during the attack on the Kanar field on Friday. Strategic objectives “All oil fields in West Kordofan are strategic objectives for the Popular Front of Sudan,” Eisa stated. He attributed the reasons for their actions to the Sudanese government’s reluctance to recruit residents of the area for working at the oil fields. “The division of wealth and power in Sudan is very unbalanced. Besides, the Sudanese government is using the oil resources for the killing of citizens.” The group leader stressed that the group would not permit the continuation of oil fields exploitation in West Kordofan State. He called upon all residents in the state to “stay away from those oil fields”, and urged China to withdraw its nationals from the West Kordofan oil fields “as soon as possible”. File photo: Oil well drilling pits in East Darfur (IRIN) Related: Oil engineers abducted in Sudan’s West Kordofan (20 April 2014)Job seekers killed, injured at oil field in Sudan’s West Kordofan (3 March 2014) Adila oil company disrupted by strike, East Darfur (10 January 2014)