South Sudan’s main armed opposition group allied to former first vice president and rebel leader, Riek Machar says it has abducted four oil workers including a Pakistani national, while demanding all oil firms and engineers to immediately leave the oil fields across the country.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday, Lam Paul Gabriel, the SPLA-IO deputy spokesman, said they had captured the four engineers working for DAR Petroleum Operating Company at Gumbri area in Upper Nile State on Sunday, and accused them of working with the government.

“Our position is very clear, we told the government that we don’t want the oil companies to operate, the citizens do not benefit from the oil money. The government has been buying weapons to kill civilians, the government does not want peace,” said Gabriel.

He pointed out that the Pakistani oil worker, who was identified as Ayaz Hussein Jamali, has already been transported to Pagak. He noted that the SPLA-IO will negotiate his release with his national government.

For its part, South Sudan’s government on Monday has accused the rebel group of kidnapping four oil workers in Upper Nile.

Officials at DAR, a consortium including China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China’s Sinopec and Malaysia’s Petronas, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The abduction came after nearly two weeks after two Indian oil workers were captured by rebels in Upper Nile.