Security agents liberate Chinese abductee, Sudan’s West Kordofan

Minister Makawi Mohamed Awad has confirmed that the Sudanese security service managed to liberate the kidnapped Chinese oil engineer near Beleila oil field, West Kordofan, on Thursday night. The engineer was kidnapped by an armed group in Kareem area, in the vicinity of Beleila, one week before. Security agents managed to reach the perpetrators and free the Chinese hostage after days of investigation, the Minister of Oil added in his statement. The engineer’s vehicle was also retrieved.A local source told Radio Dabanga that the authorities had entered negotiations with the kidnappers, and paid a ransom for the release of the Chinese hostage.Makawi also confirmed that the security has arrested key suspects in Monday’s murder of a Sudanese engineer in West Kordofan. Engineer Abdel Karim Kabo was killed and his driver wounded at Zarqa Um Hadid field. International employees and aid workers have been repeated targets for attacks and kidnappings in Darfur since the start of the war in 2003. File photo: Workers for the China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corp (CPECC) construct new oil facilities in Sudan (Trevor Snapp/Bloomberg) Related: Chinese oil worker abducted in Sudan’s West Kordofan (19 October 2014) Gunmen demand ransom for East Darfur engineers (17 October 2014) Abducted Chinese worker released in West Darfur (26 September 2014) Chinese oil workers kidnapped, released after assurances in East Darfur (13 August 2014) Oil engineers abducted in Sudan’s West Kordofan (20 April 2014)