Prometheus 6

Darfur Rebels Attack Oil Field, Warn Chinese to Leave Sudan
By Mohamed Osman
Associated Press
Friday, October 26, 2007; A15

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Oct. 25 -- Darfur rebels launched a brazen attack on Sudan's oil fields days before peace talks are scheduled to begin with the government, kidnapping two foreign workers and giving Chinese and other oil companies a week to leave the country, a commander said Thursday.

The rebel Justice and Equality Movement said it attacked the Chinese-run Defra oil field Tuesday in the neighboring Kordofan region, the group's latest attempt to broaden the battle beyond the Darfur region of western Sudan.

"The latest attack is a message to the Chinese companies in particular," said Mohamed Bahr Hamdeen, the head of the rebel group in Kordofan. "The Chinese companies are the biggest investors in the Sudanese oil industry."