Three Russians hijacked in the Sudanese Darfur region are safe, however one more remains missing, the African Union and United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur Joint Special Representative Ibrahim Gambari said on Tuesday.
Militants in Darfur on Monday hijacked a Russian helicopter with four Russian crew members and five Sudanese passengers on board.
"Fortunately, we managed to contact three of four crew members and one international staff member of the mission," Gambari said. "All of them, as it was reported, are in a safe zone controlled by the Sudanese government, to the south of the [Nigerian] city of Manawashi." "However, there is no information about the captain of the crew," he continued, adding that UNAMID is working on the situation to clarify the location of the missing pilot.
An official at the Russian Embassy in Khartoum, Yury Vidakas, said the situation was under control and that, for now, the incident was not being treated as a "hostage taking," adding that "according to preliminary indications, there might have been a problem with navigation, and the helicopter landed in the wrong place."
He also said there have been no ransom demands.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was taking all necessary steps to obtain the release of the Russian citizens involved and to clarify the situation.
The helicopter belongs to Russia's UTair Aviation company and was working in Sudan on a UN contract. When it was hijacked, the helicopter was on a joint UN and African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur.
The civil war that broke out in the western region of Darfur in early 2003 has claimed the lives of more than 300,000, according to United Nations estimates, and forced 2.7 million people from their homes. The Sudanese side puts the number of dead at 10,000.
Several Sudanese rebel groups have recently signed peace accords with the government in Khartoum but a key rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Army, has so far rejected negotiations with Khartoum and fought fierce clashes with the Sudanese Army in March.
Russia has been maintaining a peacekeeping contingent in the war-torn country since April 2006 as part of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS).
MOSCOW, July 27 (RIA Novosti)
