蘇丹反政府武裝釋放29名中國工人

Sudanese rebels have freed 29 Chinese workers captured 10 days ago in an incident that had strained relations with China, a key political and economic ally.

蘇丹反政府武裝已釋放了10天前劫持的29名中國工人，這起事件曾導致蘇丹與中國這一關鍵的政治和經濟盟友關係緊張。

The Chinese road builders, employed by a subsidiary of Sinohydro, a Chinese conglomerate, were seized on January 28 from Sudan's South Kordofan state, where clashes between troops and insurgents have displaced tens of thousands of people in the past year.

由中水電集團(Sinohydro)一家子公司僱用的這批築路工人，是1月28日在蘇丹南科爾多凡州(South Kordofan state)遭到劫持的。過去一年裏政府軍與反政府武裝在該地區發生的衝突，已導致數以萬計的人流離失所。

The foreign ministry said the workers were handed to the International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday and flown to Kenya to be received by Chinese diplomats in Nairobi.

蘇丹外交部表示，這批工人已在昨日被移交給紅十字國際委員會(ICRC)，隨後搭機飛往肯尼亞，由肯尼亞首都內羅畢的中國外交人員迎接。

The ICRC and Chinese embassy in Nairobi declined to comment.

紅十字國際委員會和中國駐肯尼亞大使館均不願置評。

Khartoum moved swiftly to announce the release and assuage strained relations with China. "The Sudanese foreign ministry affirms to the government and people of China that Sudan's government seeks to protect Chinese investments and workers involved in it," said a ministry statement, according to Reuters.

蘇丹政府迅速採取行動宣佈人質獲釋，並緩和其與中國的緊張關係。據路透社(Reuters)報道，蘇丹外交部在一份聲明中表示：“蘇丹外交部向中國政府和人民保證，蘇丹政府將努力保護中國投資以及參與相關項目的工人。”

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), formerly part of the army that fought for South Sudan's independence from Khartoum, had said it captured the workers to keep them safe from fighting after government forces attacked. "We have handed them to the ICRC and they will hand them to the Chinese government," Arnu Ngutulu Lodi of the SPLM-N told the Financial Times from Nairobi.

蘇丹人民解放運動北方分支(SPLM-N)曾經是爲南蘇丹從蘇丹獨立而戰的叛軍的一部分。該組織曾表示，它扣留中國工人，是爲了在政府軍發動攻擊、雙方交戰之際保證他們的安全。“我方已將他們交給紅十字國際委員會，由後者把他們移交中國政府，”該組織的洛迪(Arnu Ngutulu Lodi)從內羅畢對英國《金融時報》表示。

He said the SPLM-N handed the group to the ICRC in Kauda, South Kordofan, from where they were flown to Lokichogio in Kenya and on to Nairobi.

他表示，蘇丹人民解放運動北方分支在南科爾多凡州的誇達(Kauda)把這批中國工人交給紅十字國際委員會，隨後他們經肯尼亞洛基察吉奧(Lokichogio)中轉，飛往內羅畢。

The armed group had asked China to put pressure on Khartoum to open an aid corridor and urge a ceasefire and an international investigation into human rights abuses. This had raised fears the workers were being held as political pawns in a border war that threatens to draw Sudan and South Sudan back into conflict.

這個反政府武裝組織曾促請中國對蘇丹政府施壓，要求開闢一條人道援助走廊，實現停火，並由國際社會對人權侵犯的情況展開調查。此舉曾引起各方擔憂，即這批中國工人正在邊界戰爭中被當作了政治棋子，這場戰爭可能使蘇丹和南蘇丹之間再度捲入衝突。

Mr Lodi said these had never been "preconditions" for their release, however.

不過，洛迪表示 ，在釋放中國工人的問題上，從來就沒有任何“前提條件”。

"We just want to remind the world of the 750,000 people from [nearby border state] Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains [in South Kordofan] who are displaced and are in a very difficult situation; and the government is still continuing to bombard the area day and night, with more killing and displacement," he told the FT.

“我們只是想提醒世人，（鄰近的）青尼羅州和（南科爾多凡州）努巴山區有75萬人失去了家園，處在十分艱難的境地；而政府仍在沒日沒夜地轟炸該地區，導致更多人喪生和更多人流離失所，”他對英國《金融時報》表示。

Eighteen other Chinese workers fled the attack in South Kordofan and 17 were flown to safety. Sudan says it recovered the body of one other worker.

另有18名中國工人在南科爾多凡州躲過了反政府武裝襲擊，其中17人已搭機飛到安全地帶。蘇丹表示，已收到另一名工人的遺體。

譯者:和風