Two Jordanians working for a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Darfur were released by their captors, the United Nations announced Tuesday.
The African Union-U.N. Hybrid Operation in Darfur, or UNAMID, said two Jordanians were freed and sent to an area hospital where they appeared to be
unharmed and in good health.
"We are thankful to have our colleagues back with us," said deputy UNAMID envoy Mohamed Yonis in a statement. No group claimed responsibility for the
abduction.
The British government in a statement prior to their release called the abduction an obstacle to peace.
The British government, which contributes to the U.N. operation in Darfur, said looming insecurity problems in the Darfur region of Sudan can't be
tolerated.
"This has created an unacceptable situation," a statement from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office read.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his statement on the kidnapping said incidents like these are destabilizing for Sudan.
"Continued attacks on UNAMID peacekeepers and abductions and mistreatment of United Nations staff and humanitarian workers will only aggravate the situation," a statement from the secretary-general read.
Yonis said their release was secured with the help of a joint U.N.-Sudanese task force.