A group of refugees from South Sudan briefly held a number of U.N. staff members hostage at a camp in Congo on Tuesday before freeing them unharmed.

As many as 16 workers with the U.N. peacekeeping mission were being held.

“All staff have returned safely to their homes. No casualties have been reported. The mission is investigating the incident,” a U.N. spokeswoman said.

The refugees are being held at a U.N. camp near Goma in the eastern DRC and want to be allowed to go to a third country. They fear they will be sent back to their troubled and impoverished homeland.

Most of the refugees were rebel fighters with former Vice President Riek Machar.

Eight of the ex-rebels agreed to go back to South Sudan last week, and the remaining refugees are demanding to know why they cannot go to a third country.
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