UN Chief Thanks Russia, Sudan for Help in Setting Free Abducted Contractors

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has thanked Russian and Sudanese governments for their help in securing the release of two UN contractors, who were abducted in Sudan four months ago, a UN statement said Saturday.

"The Secretary-General is deeply gratified by the release today of two United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) contractors," the UN said, adding Ban "expresses his appreciation to the Governments of Sudan and Russia in securing their safe release."

Two Russian nationals were kidnapped in Sudan’s troubled region of Darfur in January 2015. They were released Friday after months of negotiations and without paying ransom, the Russian embassy in Khartoum told Sputnik on Saturday.

The two men, a manager and a technician, were employed by Russian UTair airline and contracted by the African Union-UN peacekeeping mission (UNAMID).

The Darfur province has been the epicentre of violent clashes between Sudanese government troops and rebels since 2003.