29 Chinese taken hostage in the Sudan! What will China do?
- Thread starter bd popeye
- Start date
Equation
Lieutenant General
Thanks for your post. So now the SPLM is the official army for South Sudan or they still act as a militia in defense for South Sudan? It's sad to see a modern day civil war based on religion and prejudices in Sudan. I hope the people in both Sudan and South Sudan will get better.
Kurt
Junior Member
The SPL Movement governs Southern Sudan that has voted for independance and is on their way to become the next African Union member. The SPL Army or People's Red Army does two things, upgrade their equipment and put former soldiers to new non-military tasks in order to reduce their high numbers from the wartime.
It's similar to the party ruling China and the PLA, but the inhabitants of Southern Sudan decided for more democracy to settle their issues among diverse ethnic groups that had mostly been united in the struggle against a common enemy. History gets more complex because other than the SPLA many armed groups were active in a conflict with shifting alliances, to summarize things: It was a typical African war with lots of tribes in one "nation". The socialist ideology of the SPLM served as an ideology that allowed to form the SPLA as something that went beyond the age old petty tribal conflicts. I think this is their most important heritage because they really created the nation with John Garang until his untimely death as the natural leader. You can most certainly compare his role to chairman Mao as a personality that shaped their history and despite being a most talented officer he looked beyond the battlefield and wrote an academic work about capabilities of agricultural development in his homeland (It's pretty obvious that I consider him a great leader, but he's not a white hat guy .).
From my perspective the non-Arab ethnic groups have little choice, but armed resistance, because the Arabs call them simply slaves and can go on a rampage to kill them at the drop of a hat (like in the riots after John Garang's death in an accident). Muslim identity is just a pretext for this violence and Darfur already blew that cover .
The territorial integrity is not about any shared feeling of nationhood, but about exploiting the wealth within this territory, especially the resources on land settled by ethnic groups considered slaves. You can get a good introduction to the history of this region by reading about the Mahdi of Sudan and the Arab slave trade that are both at the heart of the ongoing problem.
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Equation
Lieutenant General
Thanks again Kurt for your post. I will keep these information in mind the next time whenever I read something about South Sudan and the SPL Movement and army. It will help me gauge the reporters or authors knowledge on the subject of Sudan and South Sudan.
escobar
Brigadier
China Denies Sudan Freed Workers Held by Rebels
The Sudanese military said Monday that it had rescued 14 of the 29 Chinese road workers kidnapped by rebels in southern Sudan, but China denied early Tuesday that any workers had been freed. A report Tuesday in the official China Daily newspaper said Sudanese rebels had acknowledged holding the workers, whom they described as “in good health and in safe hands.”
Sudanese officials did not provide details about the workers’ reported rescue on Monday other than saying that they had “liberated” the Chinese workers, who were seized Saturday in a rebel attack on an encampment in Southern Kordofan, an oil-rich, rebellion-racked state.
It was unclear on Monday afternoon where the remaining 15 workers were being held.
“The abducted Chinese personnel have had all communications links with the outside world cut,” Xinhua, China’s official news agency, said Monday, quoting a Chinese Embassy official in Khartoum.
Xinhua said 17 workers had managed to evade the attackers on Saturday and were later “moved to a safe place” by the Sudanese Army, and on Tuesday there was speculation that these 17 had been confused with the 29 who had been abducted.
In all, more than 70 road workers, Chinese and Sudanese, were kidnapped. The Chinese workers were building a road to connect two remote areas, Chinese news media said, although Western human rights groups warned last week that the Sudanese government was rapidly building roads in that same area as a way to rush in troops to crush a growing insurrection.
China is one of Sudan’s most steadfast supporters, continuing to buy billions of dollars of Sudanese oil, despite Western sanctions and the fact that Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.
China is also trying to mediate in the escalating crisis between Sudan and the newly independent nation of South Sudan, which have deadlocked in recent weeks over how to share oil revenues.
Both sides are digging in, and oil production has ground to a halt as relations between Sudan and South Sudan become more poisonous.
“The kidnapping of these workers is a crime against humanity,” said Rabie A. Atti, a Sudanese government spokesman.
On Monday, Mr. Atti said that the kidnapping of the Chinese workers was “supported by the South Sudan government,” while officials in South Sudan blamed Sudan for backing recent militia attacks in their country. It was not clear why Sudanese rebels would have kidnapped Chinese workers.
On Sunday, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, a rebel group operating in Kordofan and allied with South Sudan, said it “has nothing against China and the Chinese.”
“The leadership of the S.P.L.M.-N.,” a statement from the group said, is “exerting the maximum effort to obtain accurate information from our forces in the field regarding the Chinese who were detained in Southern Kordofan.”
Chinese companies have been operating in Sudan for years, helping increase oil production to about 500,000 barrels a day. But the formal secession in July of South Sudan, which had fought for independence for decades, has complicated things.
While most of the oil lies in the south, most of the pipelines are in the north. The two sides have failed to agree on how to share oil profits, and this month South Sudan began to shut down wells, saying no more oil would flow until a comprehensive agreement was reached.
The attack on Saturday underlined the risks for China in sending ever-greater numbers of its workers into some of the world’s most turbulent countries.
While China has been sending large work crews to unstable countries for decades, a rise in Internet usage and in the availability of information from abroad has made the Chinese public much more sensitive to what happens to the workers.
China has moved aggressively to build highways, airports, bridges, dams and other big infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions. Chinese state-owned companies send thousands of employees to do much of the work, instead of training local residents, an approach that sometimes angers local populations and put Chinese workers at risk.
The Sudanese military said Monday that it had rescued 14 of the 29 Chinese road workers kidnapped by rebels in southern Sudan, but China denied early Tuesday that any workers had been freed. A report Tuesday in the official China Daily newspaper said Sudanese rebels had acknowledged holding the workers, whom they described as “in good health and in safe hands.”
Sudanese officials did not provide details about the workers’ reported rescue on Monday other than saying that they had “liberated” the Chinese workers, who were seized Saturday in a rebel attack on an encampment in Southern Kordofan, an oil-rich, rebellion-racked state.
It was unclear on Monday afternoon where the remaining 15 workers were being held.
“The abducted Chinese personnel have had all communications links with the outside world cut,” Xinhua, China’s official news agency, said Monday, quoting a Chinese Embassy official in Khartoum.
Xinhua said 17 workers had managed to evade the attackers on Saturday and were later “moved to a safe place” by the Sudanese Army, and on Tuesday there was speculation that these 17 had been confused with the 29 who had been abducted.
In all, more than 70 road workers, Chinese and Sudanese, were kidnapped. The Chinese workers were building a road to connect two remote areas, Chinese news media said, although Western human rights groups warned last week that the Sudanese government was rapidly building roads in that same area as a way to rush in troops to crush a growing insurrection.
China is one of Sudan’s most steadfast supporters, continuing to buy billions of dollars of Sudanese oil, despite Western sanctions and the fact that Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.
China is also trying to mediate in the escalating crisis between Sudan and the newly independent nation of South Sudan, which have deadlocked in recent weeks over how to share oil revenues.
Both sides are digging in, and oil production has ground to a halt as relations between Sudan and South Sudan become more poisonous.
“The kidnapping of these workers is a crime against humanity,” said Rabie A. Atti, a Sudanese government spokesman.
On Monday, Mr. Atti said that the kidnapping of the Chinese workers was “supported by the South Sudan government,” while officials in South Sudan blamed Sudan for backing recent militia attacks in their country. It was not clear why Sudanese rebels would have kidnapped Chinese workers.
On Sunday, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, a rebel group operating in Kordofan and allied with South Sudan, said it “has nothing against China and the Chinese.”
“The leadership of the S.P.L.M.-N.,” a statement from the group said, is “exerting the maximum effort to obtain accurate information from our forces in the field regarding the Chinese who were detained in Southern Kordofan.”
Chinese companies have been operating in Sudan for years, helping increase oil production to about 500,000 barrels a day. But the formal secession in July of South Sudan, which had fought for independence for decades, has complicated things.
While most of the oil lies in the south, most of the pipelines are in the north. The two sides have failed to agree on how to share oil profits, and this month South Sudan began to shut down wells, saying no more oil would flow until a comprehensive agreement was reached.
The attack on Saturday underlined the risks for China in sending ever-greater numbers of its workers into some of the world’s most turbulent countries.
While China has been sending large work crews to unstable countries for decades, a rise in Internet usage and in the availability of information from abroad has made the Chinese public much more sensitive to what happens to the workers.
China has moved aggressively to build highways, airports, bridges, dams and other big infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions. Chinese state-owned companies send thousands of employees to do much of the work, instead of training local residents, an approach that sometimes angers local populations and put Chinese workers at risk.
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Equation
Lieutenant General
It looks like it's time for the African Union to step in resolve the issues. They've been busy as of lately since last year the Arab Spring, Coted d'evoire government strife, drought, hunger in Ethiopia, Sudan split, and now this. They've done a pretty good job so far with limited funds they have.
escobar
Brigadier
China sends team to Sudan, demands release of workers
China on Tuesday called for the immediate release of 29 Chinese workers held by Sudanese rebels, as it dispatched a team to the African nation to help defuse the situation.
"China calls on all sides to remain calm and exercise restraint, ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and quickly release the Chinese personnel out of humanitarian concerns," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said.
Beijing on Monday dispatched a team to Sudan led by foreign ministry officials to help resolve the standoff, he added in a statement posted on the ministry's website.
The workers were captured when rebels in the South Kordofan state attacked their camp on Saturday. They have been described as hostages by the military but rebels say they were side victims of fighting with government troops.
"They are okay. They are doing well," said Arnu Ngutulu Lodi, spokesman for the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).
"We are very concerned about their security and safety."
There is growing international concern over the situation in South Kordofan, where the government is fighting ethnic minority insurgents once allied to the former rebels who now rule South Sudan.
The South gained independence from Khartoum in July last year after decades of civil war.
The Chinese workers were involved in a road-building project in South Kordofan, and while 29 remain captive, 17 others have been moved to safety by the Sudanese army, China's official Xinhua news agency said.
China on Tuesday called for the immediate release of 29 Chinese workers held by Sudanese rebels, as it dispatched a team to the African nation to help defuse the situation.
"China calls on all sides to remain calm and exercise restraint, ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and quickly release the Chinese personnel out of humanitarian concerns," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said.
Beijing on Monday dispatched a team to Sudan led by foreign ministry officials to help resolve the standoff, he added in a statement posted on the ministry's website.
The workers were captured when rebels in the South Kordofan state attacked their camp on Saturday. They have been described as hostages by the military but rebels say they were side victims of fighting with government troops.
"They are okay. They are doing well," said Arnu Ngutulu Lodi, spokesman for the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N).
"We are very concerned about their security and safety."
There is growing international concern over the situation in South Kordofan, where the government is fighting ethnic minority insurgents once allied to the former rebels who now rule South Sudan.
The South gained independence from Khartoum in July last year after decades of civil war.
The Chinese workers were involved in a road-building project in South Kordofan, and while 29 remain captive, 17 others have been moved to safety by the Sudanese army, China's official Xinhua news agency said.
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Maggern
Junior Member
Chinese workers seized in Egypt's Sinai peninsula
Bedouin tribesmen have kidnapped 25 Chinese workers in the north of Egypt's Sinai peninsula, officials say.
The technicians and engineers were on their way to work at a military-owned cement factory in the Lehfen area when gunmen stopped the bus and seized them.
They are being held inside a tent and Bedouin are blocking roads in the area.
The kidnappers are demanding the release of five relatives jailed after the 2004 bomb attack at the Red Sea resort of Taba that killed 31 people.
"We will not release the Chinese until our demand for the release of these sons of Sinai is met," one tribesman told the Reuters news agency.
The authorities say talks are going on to try to resolve the issue.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says tribesmen have been involved in a series of confrontations with security forces in recent months.
A gas pipeline from Egypt to Israel has also repeatedly been sabotaged, though the big tourist resorts on Sinai's south coast, including Sharm el-Sheikh, have remained largely secure, our correspondent adds.
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Another one. If this continues, China must surely debate some policy changes, e.g. get more assets into the area, so that they can protect their citizens.
Bedouin tribesmen have kidnapped 25 Chinese workers in the north of Egypt's Sinai peninsula, officials say.
The technicians and engineers were on their way to work at a military-owned cement factory in the Lehfen area when gunmen stopped the bus and seized them.
They are being held inside a tent and Bedouin are blocking roads in the area.
The kidnappers are demanding the release of five relatives jailed after the 2004 bomb attack at the Red Sea resort of Taba that killed 31 people.
"We will not release the Chinese until our demand for the release of these sons of Sinai is met," one tribesman told the Reuters news agency.
The authorities say talks are going on to try to resolve the issue.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says tribesmen have been involved in a series of confrontations with security forces in recent months.
A gas pipeline from Egypt to Israel has also repeatedly been sabotaged, though the big tourist resorts on Sinai's south coast, including Sharm el-Sheikh, have remained largely secure, our correspondent adds.
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Another one. If this continues, China must surely debate some policy changes, e.g. get more assets into the area, so that they can protect their citizens.
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plawolf
Lieutenant General
It seems that in both cases, the Chinese were not seized because they were Chinese, but rather because they were foreigners and were not adequately protected.
If that is the case, it would not be wise for China to think about deploying military units and assets in the region because doing so may well create tensions and resentment where there were none before, and also because of the logistical difficulties in trying to have units and assets available to deploy at short notice to anywhere in Africa.
I think that apark from trying to secure the release of the hostages, Beijing may well press local governments to provide better protection for Chinese workers in countries that are unstable or dangerous and may even go as far as to start staging joint counter-terrorism and hostage rescue drills with local forces.
However, in this instance, given the relative close proximity, and the nature of the second kidnapping, if part of the Chinese naval anti-piracy task force was not on it's way to Sudan/Egypt, it will be now.
The Egyptions are not going to be releasing terrorists, and if a hostage rescue raid is to be launched, Beijing may well want their own men to do it, especially if the Bedouin start killing hostages. But let's hope it doesn't come to that.