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| Africa Horn | |
| One of two French agents in Somalia freed | |
| 2009-08-26 | |
Appears to be in exchange for a ransom
Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gele initially announced in a press conference in Mogadishu that both agents had been freed, but within minutes told AFP that only one had been released. "My words are that one of two hostages kidnapped in Mogadishu last month is now in the hands of the government. He is safe and in good health," he said. The government was continuing its "efforts to release the second hostage." He refused to elaborate on the circumstances of the release, saying more details would be made available later. The pair were snatched by gunmen from their hotel in the war-riven Somali capital on July 14 and quickly separated, to be held by two hardline groups involved in a military offensive against the government. One was believed to be held by the Shebab, an Al Qaeda-inspired group, and the other by Hezb al-Islam, a more political movement led by former Sharif ally Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys. Initial reports on Wednesday suggested that one of the French agents had escaped and taken refuge in the presidential palace. But officials from Hezb al-Islam and the transitional federal government speaking on condition of anonymity said the first hostage reported free had been released in exchange for a ransom. "Some government forces had been waiting for the release in the Gubta neighbourhood (in southern Mogadishu). He was handed over at around 4:00 am (0100 GMT) this morning," a senior Hezb al-Islam official told AFP. "The French agent did not escape by himself. Some negotiations had been going on for a while between the government and Hezb al-Islam officials," a government official also said. "The initial ransom demanded was five million dollars but the amount has decreased," the official explained. He said that when talks stumbled, some Hezb al-Islam militants struck their own deal and organised the release without their leadership's authority. Some sources in the presidential palace told AFP that a second European-looking individual had been seen Wednesday on the compound but no information on the fate of the second hostage was immediately available. | |
| Posted by:ryuge |