Congo says American, Swedish officials with UN kidnapped

KINSHASA, Congo – Congo's government says two United Nations officials, one American and one Swedish, have been kidnapped along with four Congolese in Kasai Central province.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende said Monday that Michael Sharp of the United States and Zahida Katalan of Sweden were taken with three Congolese drivers and a translator while traveling by motorcycle.

A government statement says the kidnappers have not yet been identified. It was not clear when the kidnapping occurred on a bridge near the village of Ngombe.

Judicial authorities in the province have opened an investigation and are working with the U.N. mission in Congo to free those held.

This vast Central African nation is home to multiple militias competing for stakes in its rich mineral resources.