Kidnappers want $1m ransom
26/06/2008 11:40  - (SA)  

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Kidnapped child 'in bad shape' Somalia 'too dangerous' 'Kidnappers treated me well'

Mogadishu - A government minister says Somali gunmen have demanded one million dollars for the release of a German couple, their young son and a French boat captain.

The Europeans were seized on Monday off the Gulf of Aden and taken to Puntland, a semi-autonomous region of northern Somalia.

Jama Hirsi Farah, minister of state for security in the region, said on Thursday that the kidnappers have demanded one million dollars.

The condition of the captives was not immediately clear. A clan elder who is helping negotiate said the boy is suffering from a fever and needs medical help.

Kidnappings and piracy are on the rise in Somalia, where hijackers demand - and often receive - huge ransoms. The 3 025km-long coast is overrun with pirates.

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