Darfur rebels waiting for UN before they release kidnapped oil workers

Source: Forbes/Thompson Financial

KHARTOUM (Thomson Financial) - A Darfur rebel group said it is waiting for a United Nations mission to arrive so it can free five oil workers kidnapped last month in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

. . .

The rebels had previously made the hostages' release conditional on their employers' withdrawal from working with the Khartoum government in developing Sudan's oil resources.

The JEM said on Oct 25 it had kidnapped the oil workers, three Sudanese, an Iraqi and an Egyptian. . . The rebel group had warned it would attack foreign oil companies and target Chinese firms in particular.

The five workers were seized in an attack on a facility at Defra run by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company, a consortium involving China's CNPC, India's ONGC, Malaysia's Petronas and state-owned Sudapet.

The oilfield produces more than half of the country's output of some 500,000 barrels of oil per day, most of which is exported to China.

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/11/06/afx4...

The Sudan/Darfur is rich. Who knew?

from here
http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=3633&cid=...
"As a result of its high profit margin China oil deals, Sudan ’s economy has been growing at an incredible rate; and as such, is fast emerging as the Horn’s undisputed economic giant."

Of course none trickles down to the masses, thus these kidnappings.