Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Five Chinese oil workers kidnapped in central Sudan nine days ago have been shot dead, Sudan's Foreign Ministry said.

The five were among nine employees of China National Petroleum Corp. who were abducted on Oct. 18 while working at the Heglig oil field in South Kordofan state, Ali Sadig, a ministry spokesman, said by phone yesterday from Khartoum, the capital. Two workers escaped and were being treated for injuries, while the other two are still being held by their captors, he said.

``What happened was very unexpected,'' Sadig said. ``What is strange is that it happened at a time when the government, especially the army and the police, were not involved. There was no direct confrontation with the abductors.''

Sudan's government said last week the rebel Justice and Equity Movement carried out the attack. The group has been fighting government forces in the western region of Darfur for the past five years. JEM denied any involvement in the kidnappings, the Sudan Tribune reported today, citing El-Tahir Adam El-Faki, chairman of JEM's legislative council.

JEM accuses China of indirectly supporting the Sudanese government's military operations in Darfur through the sale of weapons to the government in Khartoum and investment in the oil industry. As many as 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict and some 3 million have been forced to flee their homes.

Chinese to Stay

The workers' deaths won't deter Chinese companies from operating in Sudan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a press briefing today in Beijing. State-owned China National Petroleum is China's biggest oil producer.

``China will continue to play the best role it can in aiding Sudan's economic and social development,'' Jiang said. ``We hope that Sudan will take effective and comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of Chinese people and their property.''

In December, fighters loyal to JEM attacked a Chinese-run oilfield in Heglig and vowed to carry out more raids until Chinese companies left the country.

In May, four Indian oil workers and their Sudanese driver were abducted at Heglig. The area adjoins Abyei, whose status remains contested following a peace accord signed in 2005 that ended a 21-year civil war between the Muslim north and the mainly Christian and animist south.

Sadig said that in discussions with China's ambassador to Sudan, both sides agreed the latest incident wouldn't hamper relations between the two countries.

``It won't have an impact,'' the Sudanese ministry spokesman said. ``The killing of five people, although it is a great loss, won't stop the cooperation.''

The government will boost security at projects around the country to prevent similar incidents from happening again in the future, Sadig said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Heba Aly in Khartoum via Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 28, 2008 06:11 EDT