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Sudan plane hijackers 'surrender' Sudan plane hijackers 'surrender'
(20 minutes later)
The hijackers of a Sudanese plane flown to Libya have surrendered in the desert town of Kufra, Libyan officials say. Two hijackers of a Sudanese plane flown to Libya have surrendered in the desert town of Kufra, Libyan officials say.
The 95 passengers on board the Sun Air Boeing 737 had earlier been released but the crew were being detained.The 95 passengers on board the Sun Air Boeing 737 had earlier been released but the crew were being detained.
The plane was seized shortly after taking off from the Darfur town of Nyala on Tuesday.The plane was seized shortly after taking off from the Darfur town of Nyala on Tuesday.
There are some reports that the hijackers were members of a Darfur rebel group but this was strongly denied by the group's leader.There are some reports that the hijackers were members of a Darfur rebel group but this was strongly denied by the group's leader.
A Sudanese diplomat in Kufra told the AP news agency that the two men were taken into the airport building, looking exhausted.
Mohammed al-Balla Othman said the men had requested asylum in Libya. Sudan had earlier demanded they be extradited.
Libyan aviation authority head Mohamed Shlibek said the crew had now been freed and the plane was empty, Libyan state media report.
The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says video footage on Libya's state-run television showed the released passengers in the airport lounge looking relieved but tired.The BBC's Rana Jawad in Tripoli says video footage on Libya's state-run television showed the released passengers in the airport lounge looking relieved but tired.
We categorically deny the responsibility of our movement in this hijacking operation Abdel Wahid Mohammed NurDarfur rebel leaderWe categorically deny the responsibility of our movement in this hijacking operation Abdel Wahid Mohammed NurDarfur rebel leader
They described the ordeal as "very distressing". "The night was terrifying and difficult," one man said. "I thank the Libyan authorities for their efforts which allowed us to be freed."
They said there were two hijackers, armed with pistols. Some Libyan officials have said there were 10, or more. Another said the hijackers had been armed with pistols.
Sudan has demanded that Libya extradite the hijackers. Before the passengers were freed, some fainted after the plane's air-conditioning failed, the pilot said.
The plane was on its way to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Tuesday, when a man with a knife hijacked it, a Sudanese security official was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. The plane had been on its way to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Tuesday, when a man with a knife hijacked it, a Sudanese security official was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
The plane initially tried to land in Cairo, Egypt, where it was denied permission to land. It initially tried to land in Cairo, Egypt, where it was denied permission to land.
Humanitarian corridorHumanitarian corridor
Sudanese officials say the hijackers belong to one of the numerous rebel groups fighting in Darfur.Sudanese officials say the hijackers belong to one of the numerous rebel groups fighting in Darfur.
The director of the Kufra airport told the Libyan news agency Jana that the hijackers had told the pilot they were from the rebel Sudanese Liberation Army of Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur. According to the director of Kufra airport, who was quoted by Libyan media, the hijackers told the pilot they were from the rebel Sudanese Liberation Army of Abdel Wahid Mohammed Nur.
Mr Nur, who is based in Paris, has strongly denied any involvement in the hijacking.Mr Nur, who is based in Paris, has strongly denied any involvement in the hijacking.
"We categorically deny the responsibility of our movement in this hijacking operation," he told al-Jazeera television."We categorically deny the responsibility of our movement in this hijacking operation," he told al-Jazeera television.
"We don't support putting the lives of Sudanese civilians at risk in any circumstances.""We don't support putting the lives of Sudanese civilians at risk in any circumstances."
Three members of a different SLA faction, led by Minni Minawi, were aboard the plane.Three members of a different SLA faction, led by Minni Minawi, were aboard the plane.
A spokesman for this faction, the only one to sign a 2006 peace deal with the government, has also denied any involvement in the hijacking.A spokesman for this faction, the only one to sign a 2006 peace deal with the government, has also denied any involvement in the hijacking.
A five-year conflict in Darfur has left about 200,000 people dead and more than two million homeless.A five-year conflict in Darfur has left about 200,000 people dead and more than two million homeless.
The desert oasis of Kufra is in a remote region approximately 1,700km (1,050 miles) south of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.The desert oasis of Kufra is in a remote region approximately 1,700km (1,050 miles) south of the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
It is an area close to both the Sudanese and Chadian borders, and is often used as a corridor for humanitarian aid for displaced Darfuri refugees in Chad, as well as a transit point into the country by illegal immigrants, says the BBC's Rana Jawad, in Tripoli.It is an area close to both the Sudanese and Chadian borders, and is often used as a corridor for humanitarian aid for displaced Darfuri refugees in Chad, as well as a transit point into the country by illegal immigrants, says the BBC's Rana Jawad, in Tripoli.