UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — The United Nations hopes that the Sudanese government will broker a safe release of two Russian nationals kidnapped in Darfur late in January, Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq said Monday.
“The relevant governments are still working to obtain the safe release of these two Russian men. And we are very very hopeful that that will be obtained,” Farhan Haq said at the press briefing.
Two Russian employees of the UTair airline, who were contracted by the African Union-UN peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) in western Sudan, were taken hostage by unknown men in Darfur on January 29.
Earlier on Monday, Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ali Karti said that the country’s security forces are aware of the place where Russian pilots are being held, adding that their release had been stalled because the kidnappers' demands are still unknown.
