Jordanian peacekeepers freed in Darfur

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KHARTOUM, Sudan, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Two Jordanians serving with the United Nations force in the Darfur region of Sudan were released Wednesday, more than four months after their abduction.

Hasan Al-Mazawdeh and Qasim Al-Sarhan were both in apparent good health, the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force -- or UNAMID -- said in a news release. UNAMID officials said the two Jordanians would be flown first to Khartoum and then back to Jordan as soon as possible.

UNAMID urged the Sudanese government to find and punish the kidnappers.

The two men were assigned to police duties with UNAMID. They were kidnapped Aug. 20 in Kabkabiya, a town about 80 miles west of El Fasher, the North Darfur capital, the U.N. News Service said.

UNAMID's top priority is protecting the civilian population in Darfur, where rebels have been fighting the Sudanese government for almost a decade.