Sudan Plane Hijacked

CNN) -- A Sudanese plane that was hijacked shortly after taking off from Nyala in the country's Darfur region, presumably by rebels, has landed in Kufra, Libya, said Sudan's ambassador to the United States.

"I believe since it started in the sovereign state of Darfur. ... It is more likely something to do with the rebels in that area," John Ukec said.

About 87 passengers and 10 crew members are thought to be on board, Ukec said. It was unclear how many hijackers were on board.

The hijacker or hijackers wanted to land the plane in Egypt, but the Egyptian government refused them permission, Ukec said.

However, an Egyptian civil aviation official disputed that.

"The hijacked plane never entered Egyptian airspace," said Capt. Shirbeeni, the head of Egypt's civil aviation control. "It never requested to land on Egyptian soil. ... We understand that it had a tank that would allow it to fly for four hours. It flew directly toward Kufra."

A reporter from Al-Shuruq, a Dubai-based Sudanese network funded by Sudan's government, said passengers on the plane include some officials from the interim government of Darfur, Sudan's war-torn region.

Libya's state-run Jamahirya television, citing civil aviation sources, reported that the hijacked plane landed in Kufra, in eastern Libya.

"We are in contact with Libyan officials because of this dangerous event," Murtada Hassam Jumaa, an official with Sun Air airlines, told Al-Shuruq. "We want to resolve this situation as soon as we can in a way where we can guarantee the safety of all our passengers."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/08/26/sudan.plane/index.html
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