Darfur - Sudan Recovers Three Bodies of Slain Chinese Oil Workers

[WhiskeyGirl]

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The bodies of three of the five workers presumed killed were recovered today during a trip by Sudanese and Chinese officials to the central state of South Kordofan, Ali Yousif, director general of protocol at the Foreign Ministry, said in a telephone interview. Three other workers, two of them wounded, were also returned, while a fourth is still missing.

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The nine workers, of the China National Petroleum Corp., were kidnapped on Oct. 18 while working at Heglig oil field in South Kordofan, bordering the Darfur region and straddling the contested border between north and south Sudan.

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The workers' deaths won't deter Chinese companies from operating in Sudan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters in Beijing. State-owned CNPC is China's top oil producer. China is the biggest investor in Sudan's oil industry, which pumps as much as 500,000 barrels of oil per day.

``China will continue to play the best role it can in aiding Sudan's economic and social development,'' Jiang said. ``We hope that Sudan will take effective and comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of Chinese people and their property.''

Rebel Group Blamed

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``JEM has no connection whatsoever with this incident of Chinese oil workers,'' Ahmed Hussain Adam, a JEM spokesman, said in a telephone interview from London. ``JEM is committed to the provisions of international humanitarian law which prohibits attacks on civilians and prohibits hostage taking.''

Mukhtar Babu El-Nimer, the Amir, or chief, of the Arab Misseriya people in Muglad, in the western region of South Kordofan, said the kidnappers were members of his tribe with links to JEM.

Abducted

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Like the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, El-Nimer said the Sudanese government didn't attempt a rescue of the hostages.

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Development

El-Nimer said the kidnappers' motive was to secure economic development in the region.

``This area has no development and the oil is pouring out of it,'' he said. ``The government has done nothing for them. The oil is being pumped, but they haven't seen any benefits.''

Fighters loyal to JEM attacked a Chinese-run oilfield in Heglig last December and vowed to carry out more raids until Chinese companies left the country.

JEM accuses China of indirectly supporting the Sudanese government's military operations in Darfur through the sale of weapons to the government in Khartoum and investment in the oil industry. As many as 300,000 people have died in the conflict and some 3 million have been forced to flee their homes.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=aOS6twThwrbk&refer=africa

IIRC, the Chinese are helping the Iraqi oil industry as well.