British aid worker safe after kidnap at gunpoint

Zimbabwe-born Frans Barnard, who was working for Save the Children, is back in Adado, from where he and a Somali colleague were seized from a guesthouse last week.

Anna Ford, Save the Children spokeswoman, said: "We spoke to him and he said 'It is bloody marvellous' – he confirmed that he was safe and well and was confident in the people who were looking after him.

"We are just hugely, hugely grateful to the clan elders for everything that they have done. It speaks volumes about Somalian society that they were able to organise and resolve this issue despite all the difficulties.

"We would like to thank everybody who has helped us."

She added the clan elders had seen it as a "point of honour" to work for Mr Barnard's release.

"They invited us into their community to do the work that we are doing and they saw Frans as their guest and they did everything possible to get him to safety.

"It was a point of honour for them to do that."

She added: "He has had a shower, he has had a good meal, and he is being looked after by the local president. Our main objective now is to reunite him with his family as soon as possible."

The Somali national who was also taken with Mr Barnard was released unharmed.

The men were working with the charity to help sick and malnourished children and their families in the area.

Tensions have been running high in the lawless region, where armed forces include pirate gangs and factions of militias allied to the government. Kidnapping for ransom is not uncommon.

The stricken Horn of Africa nation has been beset by famine and years of fighting between rival warlords leading to thousands of deaths. It has had no functioning central government for nearly 20 years but the western part of the country had been considered one of its safer areas.

Though most aid agencies have pulled out of the region, some had recently considered a return.

Save the Children has been working in Somalia for more than 40 years, with a focus on improving access to food, basic healthcare and education.

Its work has been limited by the security situation but this year it began to pool resources with two other branches of the International Save the Children Alliance – Denmark and Finland.

The charity's chief executive, Justin Forsyth, said no money had been involved in securing Mr Barnard's release.

"We would like to thank everyone who has helped us during this extremely difficult time, not least the president of Himan and Heeb and the Somali clans who came together and worked tirelessly to negotiate Frans' release," he added.

"Crucial support was also received from the chairman of Centre for Peace and Democracy, a local NGO. "They invited Save the Children into their community to do vital humanitarian work and they saw Frans as their guest. They did everything possible to get him to safety when he was kidnapped.

"We believe Frans was abducted by an independent group of criminals with no political affiliation or support from other groups in the region.

"Save the Children's policy is not to pay ransoms and we did not pay a ransom to secure Frans' release. The release was negotiated by the clan elders and we are extremely grateful to them."

David Cameron told the House of Commons he was delighted by the news.

"We've been in close contact with Save the Children over the kidnap of Frans Barnard, who was doing vitally important work on their behalf in Somalia and we're delighted by the news that he's been freed by his kidnappers," the Prime Minister said.

Mrs Ford later confirmed Mr Barnard was back in Adado.