(CNN) -- Somali gunmen on Wednesday released a British aid worker kidnapped last week while working for Save the Children.
The aid worker, named as Zimbabwe-born Frans Barnard, was freed after tribal elders negotiated with his captors, Save the Children confirmed.
Barnard was safe and well and had been moved to a more secure place in Somalia, Save the Children said in a statement.
No ransom was paid by the organization to secure Barnard's release, it said.
"Save the Children's policy is not to pay ransoms and we did not pay a ransom to secure Fran's release. The release was negotiated by the clan elders and we are extremely grateful to them," Save the Children said.
"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 chief executive Justin Forsyth earlier told BBC radio Barnard had been looked after by his kidnappers.
"He is well, he is in good spirits and he is on his way to a place of safety," he said.
Barnard was kidnapped along with a Somali aid worker from a guesthouse compound in the town of Adado, near the Ethiopian border, last Thursday. The Somali national was released soon afterwards.
Save the Children is an international organization based in the United Kingdom. It works to improve the lives of children worldwide. The group said it had been assessing the feasibility of starting up an humanitarian program to help malnourished and sick children and their families in the area.
CNN
