Khartoum, April 21 (IANS) Unidentified men kidnapped two Chinese engineers working at an oil field belonging to Sudanese companies in the country’s West Kordofan state Friday, Chinese embassy sources said here Sunday.

The emergency mechanism at the Chinese embassy in Khartoum started its work through contacting the concerned Sudanese authorities, Xinhua reported citing sources. The mechanism asked those authorities to work to guarantee safety of the two Chinese engineers and ensure their release at the earliest.

Sudanese local media reported earlier Sunday that an armed group, belonging to the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), attacked Kanar oil field of the Sudanese Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC) at Balila town and abducted three engineers, two Chinese and a Sudanese.

Rebel groups, active on the borders of Darfur and Kordofan regions in western Sudan, usually target vital projects such as the oil fields to put pressure on the central government in Khartoum.