Two Russian Pilots Abducted in Darfur

Armed kidnappers have abducted two Russian pilots operating in Darfur, the second time this month that gunmen have captured foreigners in the war-torn region of western Sudan. The pilots were reportedly working for a private aviation company. Sudan officials said they have not received any information yet of their fate. Two weeks ago, gunmen seized two Jordanian police advisers serving with the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping forces. They were released after a few days and it was not clear if a ransom had been paid or not. This spate of kidnappings is the latest in a wave that began in March 2009 when the International Criminal Court indicted Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir for alleged war crimes. Nearly two-dozen foreigners had been nabbed. All were released except for one, an American aid worker with the Samaritan’s Purse group. Her kidnappers were seeking a ransom.