The Qaranka online

05 Nov. 08

-. - PARIS: Six employees of the French aid group Action Against Hunger were kidnapped Wednesday in Somalia, the group said.

The Paris-based organization said four non-Somali workers and two chauffeurs were kidnapped Wednesday morning in the town of Dhusamareb, about 360 miles (580 km) north of the capital, Mogadishu.

The group did not specify the nationalities of any of those taken or provide any other details about the circumstances of the kidnapping.

Action Against Hunger has 14 foreign staffers and 219 local employees working for its mission in Somalia, according to its Web site. They mostly conduct projects aimed at promoting health and nutrition and access to clean water. The group has been present in the troubled east African nation since 1992, the Web site said.

Foreigners, journalists and humanitarian workers are frequently abducted for ransoms in Somalia. The country has not had an effective central government since 1991, leaving it in the grip of violence and anarchy.

Bin Laden son seeks asylum6 French aid workers kidnapped in SomaliaRussia may deploy missiles to Baltic, Medvedev saysIn August, two of Action Against Hunger's workers in Afghanistan were kidnapped at gunpoint and held for two weeks before being released, unharmed. In response to the kidnappings, the group temporarily suspended its activities in the Central Asian nation.

Qaranka online