CAR: Gunmen kidnap French workers

  1. Posted on Thursday 26 November 2009 - 10:24
    Mforgham
    Image of Mforgham
    Solomon Tembang Mforgham, AfricaNews reporter in Limbe, Cameroon
    Gunmen in the town of Birao in Central African Republic on the border with Chad and Sudan have abducted two French workers. The two men are said to work for the Triangle Charity.
    central african republic
    A local elder is quoted as saying the armed kidnappers, numbering about 20, fled to Sudan with their hostages, as well as three cars and a motorbike.

    The French foreign ministry is reported to have condemned the act, terming it criminal. It also demanded the release of the workers.

    Reports say the ministry's crisis unit was in close contact with the concerned parties.

    Meanwhile, the International Red Cross temporarily suspended its operations in Chad after a French employee was abducted by armed men in eastern Chad early November.

    The employee, Laurent Maurice, remains missing.

    Attacks against non-governmental organizations are frequent in eastern Chad.

    The region is home to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, including many made homeless by conflicts in Sudan's western Darfur region and the Central African Republic.

    Another Frenchman working for the ICRC, Gauthier Lefevre, was abducted in Darfur on 22 October. He is still being held.

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