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Beckett 'concerned' at kidnapping | Beckett 'concerned' at kidnapping |
(40 minutes later) | |
The government is "deeply concerned" about five Britons kidnapped a week ago in northern Ethiopia, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has said. | The government is "deeply concerned" about five Britons kidnapped a week ago in northern Ethiopia, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett has said. |
Mrs Beckett said: "We hope that those holding them will release them safely." | Mrs Beckett said: "We hope that those holding them will release them safely." |
British embassy staff and their relatives were sightseeing in the Afar region when they disappeared. | British embassy staff and their relatives were sightseeing in the Afar region when they disappeared. |
Eritrea has denied claims its troops took them across its disputed border with Ethiopia, close to where the group went missing on 1 March. | Eritrea has denied claims its troops took them across its disputed border with Ethiopia, close to where the group went missing on 1 March. |
'Round the clock' | 'Round the clock' |
BBC East Africa correspondent Adam Mynott said the British embassy is working to establish who the hostage-takers are, with Afar rebel groups and their splinter factions coming under suspicion. | |
Senior Foreign Office officials met families of the missing on Wednesday to brief them on the situation, she added. | Senior Foreign Office officials met families of the missing on Wednesday to brief them on the situation, she added. |
Our paramount concern is for everybody's safety Margaret BeckettForeign Secretary | Our paramount concern is for everybody's safety Margaret BeckettForeign Secretary |
"Obviously, this has been a very difficult time for the families of those who are missing," she said. | "Obviously, this has been a very difficult time for the families of those who are missing," she said. |
"Our staff in London and in Ethiopia have been working round the clock and we have reinforced our Embassy, as is usual in these circumstances. | "Our staff in London and in Ethiopia have been working round the clock and we have reinforced our Embassy, as is usual in these circumstances. |
"We hope that the situation will be resolved soon. Our paramount concern is for everybody's safety." | "We hope that the situation will be resolved soon. Our paramount concern is for everybody's safety." |
She paid tribute to the efforts of the British ambassador, Bob Dewar, and thanked governments in the region for their assistance - including those of both Ethiopia and Eritrea. | She paid tribute to the efforts of the British ambassador, Bob Dewar, and thanked governments in the region for their assistance - including those of both Ethiopia and Eritrea. |
Your pictures: Afar region Q&A: Afar community | |
Mr Dewar has said the group may have been victims of mistaken identity. The five Britons were accompanied by 13 Ethiopian guides when they went missing in the early hours of 1 March. | Mr Dewar has said the group may have been victims of mistaken identity. The five Britons were accompanied by 13 Ethiopian guides when they went missing in the early hours of 1 March. |
One witness said "around 50 men" came into the camp where the Britons were staying that night. | One witness said "around 50 men" came into the camp where the Britons were staying that night. |
Vehicles used by the party were found in the town of Hamedali, near the Eritrean border, on Monday. | Vehicles used by the party were found in the town of Hamedali, near the Eritrean border, on Monday. |
A Toyota Land Cruiser and a Land Rover Discovery were discovered with shoes, luggage and mobile phones inside. Both showed signs of damage from either by shrapnel or an explosion. | A Toyota Land Cruiser and a Land Rover Discovery were discovered with shoes, luggage and mobile phones inside. Both showed signs of damage from either by shrapnel or an explosion. |
'United front' | |
Ethiopia's relationship with Eritrea has been uneasy since Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war. | Ethiopia's relationship with Eritrea has been uneasy since Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war. |
Tourists are required by the Ethiopian government to travel with armed guards in the region. | Tourists are required by the Ethiopian government to travel with armed guards in the region. |
BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut said that a faction of Afar nationalists who stumbled across the Britons are most likely to be behind the kidnappings, rather than Islamic fundamentalists. | |
He added that a united front of groups seeking autonomy for two-million-strong Afar opposed Eritrean independence and sided with Ethiopia in a 1998 border war; but that some elements were opposed to participation within the Ethiopian government. |
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