Rebel forces in Sudan's border state of South Kordofan released 29 Chinese workers to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday, February 7, 10 days after they were kidnapped, Sudan's foreign ministry said.

The workers were handed over on Tuesday morning to the ICRC, Sudan's foreign ministry said. They were flown over from Kauda in South Kordofan to Nairobi in Kenya and handed over to Chinese embassy officials.

"The Sudanese foreign ministry affirms to the government and people of China that Sudan's government seeks to protect Chinese investments and workers involved in it," a ministry statement said.

The construction workers were captured on January 28 - apparently held as pawns in a dispute between Sudan and rebels allied with the newly independent and oil-rich South Sudan. It marked the third case of abduction of Chinese in Sudan since 2004 and highlighted the risks to China's expanding economic footprint in Africa in search of minerals and energy, Reuters reported.