The United Nations on Thursday called on the captors to release the two Chinese engineers abducted by them in Sudan.  

"The United Nations is deeply concerned at the recent detention of two water engineers (nationals of China) working in South Darfur, by the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army," the Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sudan said in Nairobi in a release.

"We strongly deplore such attacks on civilians, and call on the captors to release them immediately," Mukesh Kapila, the coordinator, was quoted as saying by the release.

"The UN has offered its good offices to help facilitate the release, if requested to do so," said the release.

Two Chinese workers have been abducted by anti-Sudanese government militants in western Sudan, the Chinese Embassy in Khartoum gave the confirmation on Tuesday.

The rebels abducted the two Chinese workers on Saturday while the latter were drilling water wells some 80 km from the Sudan's western city of Buram.

(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2004)