Darfur kidnappers of Red Cross worker demand ransom

The kidnappers of a Franco-British aid worker in the restive Darfur region of western Sudan are demanding a ransom, an International Committee of the Red Cross official said on Tuesday.

ICRC spokeswoman Tamara al-Rifai said the kidnappers of Gauthier Lefevre had asked for the ransom on Monday but stressed that the Red Cross did not discuss such demands.

"The policy of the ICRC is not to pay a ransom," she said, without disclosing any figure.

Lefevre was abducted on Thursday in West Darfur state near the border with Chad.

The ICRC said after a previous contact with the kidnappers that he was in good health.

It was the fifth abduction of a foreign worker since March when Sudan's ties with foreign aid groups soured after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Beshir for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

It is the first time a Red Cross employee has been targeted, however.

Last week, two female aid workers -- Irishwoman Sharon Commins and Ugandan Hilda Kawuki -- were freed after being held hostage for 107 days in Darfur.

An Irish newspaper quoted a Beshir advisor, Musa Hilal, as saying they were ransomed for 150,000 euros (225,000 dollars), although Irish, Sudanese and Ugandan authorities denied they were freed in exchange for money.

Hilal himself later denied the report, saying he was not involved in negotiations to release the hostages.

The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have fled their homes since ethnic minority rebels in Darfur rose up against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum in February 2003.

The government says 10,000 people have been killed.