Russian pilots abducted in South Darfur

Two or three Russian private airline pilots were abducted Sunday afternoon by unknown gunmen in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. Reports conflict as to whether two or three pilots are missing, with the UN peacekeeping mission reporting three and state media reporting two. The abduction follows the disappearance roughly one month ago of another Russian pilot, who was later released to Sudanese armed forces. The pilots work for Badr Aviation, a company often contracted by humanitarian aid agencies. The pilots were abducted inside a residential quarter by gunmen on a Land Cruiser vehicle, the official Sudan News Agency reported. The spokesman of the Armed Forces, Lt. Co. Al-Sawarmi Khalid Saad, said that “groups of government forces are cordoning off certain areas in search of the kidnapped pilots and the abductors. Meanwhile, the Wali (governor) of South Darfur State, and his government have mobilized all the security and police forces to pursue the aggressors,” according to SUNA.

Mikhail Margelov, the Russian politician who serves as envoy to Sudan, confirmed the kidnapping in an interview with the government-owned Voice of Russia radio. He was unusually critical of the Sudanese government, raising doubts about its ability to secure the region and saying “We would not like the seizure of the Russian citizens in Sudan to turn into a vicious tendency.” Some Russian media have reported that Sudanese authorities know the location of the abducted pilots.

See also: Voice of Russia’s report “Russian envoy slams Sudan over kidnapped pilots.”