Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - African Union (AU) Commission President Jean Ping has said he is "deeply gratified" to learn about the release of two civilian peacekeepers serving the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

"The Chairperson welcomes this positive development in ensuring the safety and t he security of all humanitarian and peacekeeping personnel working in Sudan and looks forward to enhance coopera tion with the government of Sudan in this area," Ping said Sunday.

The two kidnapped officials serving the UNAMID were freed on Sunday after 107 da ys in captivity. They include a Nigerian national, who worked as a security expert, and a Zimbabwean child wel fare officer.

"The staff were abducted at gunpoint from their accommodation in West Darfur sta te 29 August and had been detained for 107 days," the AU chief said in a statement.

Ping wished the two peacekeepers well and thanked them for their patience, coura ge and resilience. The two peacekeepers reportedly fell ill during their captivity.

Security in Darfur has been worsening since March, when the International Crimin al Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omer Al Bashir, over what the Court considered as "command re sponsibility" for Darfur massacres since 2003.

The increase in the level of violence has mainly targeted the UNAMID staff and p eacekeepers, who have fallen victim to the kidnappings, hijackings and ambush.

Some five Rwandan peacekeepers were among a contingent of UNAMID personnel recen tly killed in an ambush by unknown gunmen in Darfur.

Ping hailed the UNAMID team and the Sudanese government for securing the release of the two abducted peacekeepers.

He underscored the importance of the humanitarian work and the peacekeeping resp onsibilities being undertaken by the UNAMID and called on the Sudanese authorities to ensure their work is not hindered by armed elements in the region.

"The UNAMID staff must be allowed to carry out their work without hindrance or i ntimidation," the AU reiterated.

Addis Ababa - 14/12/2009