* Released crew will fly to Khartoum, then Bulgaria - WFP
* Kidnappings, lack of security hinder aid in Darfur
(Adds details from statement, background)
KHARTOUM, June 6 (Reuters) - Three Bulgarian air crew members who were abducted in Sudan's western Darfur region in January have been released, the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement on Monday.
The three men, who were working for an aviation company contracted by the United Nations, will be flown to Khartoum and then to Bulgaria, the statement said.
Lack of security and kidnappings in Darfur -- there have been more than a dozen abductions of foreign workers by young men demanding ransoms since 2009 -- have hindered the world's largest humanitarian operation.
The WFP said the men had been kidnapped at an air strip about 60 km (37 miles) southeast of el-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, on Jan. 13. They appeared to be in good health, it added.
It was the second abduction involving crew contracted by the WFP within three months, the statement said. Three Russian pilots contracted to the programme were kidnapped in the South Darfur capital Nyala in November.
The Russians were released after more than a month in captivity, it said.
The level of violence in Darfur, where mostly non-Arab rebels are fighting government troops backed by largely Arab militias, has fallen from its peak in 2003 and 2004 but a surge in attacks since December has forced tens of thousands to flee.
The United Nations says as many as 300,000 people have died during the conflict in Darfur, while Khartoum puts the death toll at 10,000. (Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; editing by Tim Pearce)
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