Chinese Hostage Freed İn Sudan

Sudanese security forces have freed a Chinese hostage held by rebels in West Kordofan State.



"Security agencies have been working around the clock to nab the kidnappers and free the Chinese hostage," Oil Minister Makawi Mohammed Awad was "ed as saying by the official Sudanese news agency.



The minister gave no details about the identity of the captors or whether they were any casualties in the rescue operation, which took place on Thursday.



A Chinese oil worker was taken hostage after gunmen attacked an oilfield in West Kordofan last week. A Sudanese oil worker was killed during the attack.



Tensions have risen between the Khartoum government and rebel movements in the western parts of the country since 2003.



The rebel movements accuse the government of neglecting the basic needs of the residents of the western parts of Sudan.



By Mohamed al-Khatem



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Hartum