Khartoum , Sudan ( CNN ) -- Militants captured 70 construction workers , including Chinese nationals , in Sudan 's volatile South Kordofan state , military officials said Sunday . The group attacked the construction site in a remote area Saturday and destroyed equipment , said Alsawarmi Khalid , spokesman for the Sudanese armed forces . Khalid blamed the attacks on the Sudan People 's Liberation Movement -North , a rebel force in the border region with neighboring South Sudan . The Sudanese army is pursuing the kidnappers , the spokesman said . China confirmed the incident but did not say how many of its workers had been taken . `` The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy to Sudan have initiated an emergency response to the incident , '' Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Weimin said , in quotes carried by the state-run Xinhua agency . `` Currently , the Sudanese government is doing their utmost to locate and rescue the missing Chinese nationals and has enhanced protection for other Chinese nationals in Sudan , '' he added . South Sudan became the world 's newest nation last year after decades of conflict with the north . International concern has grown over the violence in South Kordofan and nearby Blue Nile states , which has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes . The region is a Sudan territory , but straddles Sudan and South Sudan 's ethnic and political lines . China is Sudan 's largest trading partner , while Sudan is China 's third-largest trading partner in Africa . According to the Chinese foreign ministry , trade between the two countries reached $ 8.63 billion in 2010 , an increase of 35.1 % compared to the previous year . The close bilateral cooperation is mainly driven by oil exports from Sudan , which is among the top oil suppliers for China . Linking aid , trade and investment , Beijing 's business model in Africa involves building extensive infrastructure projects and granting loans in exchange for access to natural resources , trade opportunities and expansion into new markets . Last year , Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was given the red carpet treatment when he visited Beijing -- a trip that included the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Sudanese government and China National Petroleum Corporation ( CNPC ) , China 's largest oil company , to `` deepen cooperation in the oil and gas field . '' But human rights groups criticized China for the visit because al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) for alleged war atrocities during the civil war in Sudan -- allegations he denies . CNN 's Paul Armstrong contributed to this report .
The group attacks the construction site in a remote area . Sudanese troops are pursuing the kidnappers , a spokesman says . - A suicide bomber kills at least 10 people and wounds more than 30 others outside an army checkpoint near the northern city of Malakal.