Somali insurgents holding a French security consultant hostage issued demands in return for his release on Thursday including an immediate end to French support for the Horn of Africa nation's government, Reuters reported.
In a statement, the al Shabaab rebel group also called for the withdrawal of African Union (AU) peacekeepers supporting President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's administration, and the departure of French warships tackling piracy in Somali waters.
The hostage is one of two French security consultants kidnapped by gunmen in the capital Mogadishu in July. His colleague managed to escape on Aug. 26. "By the grace of Allah and under his guidance, the mujahideen succeeded in a major operation to capture an officer and agent of the French security services," the statement said.
In return for his release, al Shabaab demanded the "immediate cessation of any political or military support to the apostate government of Somalia and the withdrawal of all its security advisers in Somalia".
The rebels also called for the withdrawal of Ugandan and Burundian soldiers who comprise the AU's 5,000-strong AMISOM peace mission, "especially the Burundians", and for the release of mujahideen prisoners in countries to be named later.
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