Red Cross says two employees kidnapped in Mali have been freed unharmed

BAMAKO (Reuters) – Two employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) kidnapped in Mali earlier this month have been freed unharmed and unconditionally, the organisation said on Monday.

“We are relieved to find our colleagues safe and sound. They will be reunited with their families as soon as possible,” Antoine Grand, head of the ICRC delegation in Mali, said in a statement.

The ICRC did not disclose the names or nationalities of those kidnapped. It also said it would not release any information about the circumstances under which the abduction, captivity or release took place.

The two were kidnapped on March 4 on the road between Gao and Kidal in northern Mali, a region where Islamist militant groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have been waging an insurgency for the last decade.

“We thank everyone who has worked tirelessly since the incident began to ensure their speedy and unconditional release,” Grand said.

(Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo in Bamako and Emma Farge in Geneva; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Angus MacSwan)