UN peacekeepers in Darfur say gunmen abducted 2 foreign aid workers, one of them German

2 foreign aid workers abducted in Darfur

CAIRO — The joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur says gunmen have abducted two foreign nationals working for a German aid group in south Darfur.

The mission’s spokesman, Chris Cycmanick, said on Wednesday that seven attackers raided the residence of Technisches Hilfswerk group in Nyala, the capital of south Darfur. He says the raid took place late on Tuesday.

The gunmen seized two foreigners, one of them German, and a Sudanese guard who was let go shortly afterward.

Cycmanick says several of the kidnappers had automatic rifles but there was no gunfire.

The violence has largely subsided in Darfur but banditry and kidnappings of foreign nationals and aid workers continue to plague efforts to stabilize the seven-year conflict.