French workers kidnapped in Somalia

Two French officials working as security advisers to the Somali government have been kidnapped in Mogadishu, the French foreign…

Two French officials working as security advisers to the Somali government have been kidnapped in Mogadishu, the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement said the men were on an "official mission" when they were seized by a group of armed men. "They were providing help in security matters to the transitional federal government of President Sheikh Sharif," it added.

Earlier, witnesses in Somalia said gunmen had stormed into a Mogadishu hotel and kidnapped two Frenchmen who had said they were journalists.

"Several gunmen entered the Sahafi Hotel, pointed guns at the guards and went into the hotel rooms where they took away the two French nationals," the hotel manager said. "The two males told me they were journalists," he added.

READ MORE

Fighting in Somalia since Ethiopian troops ousted the Islamic Courts Union in late 2006 has killed at least 18,000 and sent hundreds of thousands more fleeing from their homes.

Reuters