A British contractor kidnapped in Somalia last week whilst working for Save the Children has been freed and is "on his way to a place of safety," the charity said today.
Regional officials in central Somalia said Frans Barnard was freed late last night some 250 km from the town of Adado where he was abducted.
"We continue to be concerned for him but at this point we are cautiously optimistic," Anna Ford, Save the Children's spokesperson in Nairobi said.
Mohamed Mohamud, an official with the Himan and Heb regional administration said Mr Barnard was now in the hands of the local administration and would later be handed over to the aid group.
He said the Nairobi-based security consultant was in good health.
Kidnapping for ransoms has become a major money-spinner in lawless Somalia, notably among the pirate gangs that plague the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, linking Europe to Africa and Asia.
Somali pirates still hold hostage a retired British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, who were hijacked onboard their yacht off Seychelles a year ago.
Within Somalia the capture of foreign nationals has become relatively rare because nearly all aid agencies have barred expatriate workers from operating there after hardline Islamist militants gained control of more territory.
Mohamud said Barnard's release came after talks between local elders and clan militia fighters.
"No ransom was paid. His release happened through negotiations," Mohamud said.
The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was aware of the reports which it was trying to verify.
Save the Children had been assessing the feasibility of starting up a humanitarian program to help malnourished and sick children in the area around Adado, which lies close to the Ethiopian border, when Barnard was seized.
Adado, the capital of the Himan and Heb region, is considered more stable than much of the lawless Horn of Africa nation where Islamist rebels are fighting to topple the Western-supported administration.
Reuters