Darfur rebels free UN peacekeepers in Sudan

A low-level civil war is being waged in Darfur

Four South African peacekeepers who were kidnapped in Sudan's troubled Darfur region earlier this month have been released, the UN says.

The two men and two women - who are part of the joint UN-African Union force, Unamid - were abducted after leaving their base in Nyala.

Rebel Movement for the Popular Struggle spokesman Ibrahim al-Dukki said no ransom had been paid.

He said the abduction was to show Darfur was not safe for elections.

A civil war has pushed about three million people into refugee camps in Darfur and the region is prone to lawlessness and banditry.

A number of expatriates, including aid workers and Unamid officials, have been kidnapped by armed groups demanding ransom.