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A British journalist kidnapped in Somalia has been released, along with a Spanish photographer. However, two other foreign journalists, a Canadian and an Australian abducted near Mogadishu in August, are still being held.
Colin Freeman, 39, the chief foreign correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph, and Jose Cendon, 34, were seized in the north-east of Somali on November 26. They had been investigating maritime piracy in Somalia, but were captured after leaving their hotel headed for Bossasso airport. The UK Foreign Office and Spanish government have
confirmed their release.
The alarm was raised when the two journalists failed to contact their editors after telling them they were headed for the airport. The pair had apparently been seized by bodyguards who were escorting them to the airport, before being held in the mountainous region to the south-west of the city.
The men were allowed to make contact five days later, and negotiations to secure their release were made through a family representative.
Somalia has been plagued by civil conflict since 1991, and large parts of the country are controlled by Islamist insurgents. Piracy off the Somalian coast has become an increasing problem for cargo ships, fishing boats and yachts. Foreign nationals are often targeted for the large ransom payments they can secure.
However, the security minister of the semi-autonomous Puntland region, Abdullahi Said Samatar, stated: "The two European journalists were freed without any payment of a ransom." A Foreign Office spokesperson added: "The government's policy on ransom is we don't pay."
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