Thrusday,
The charity said it had ordered four of its remaining seven workers to leave
The three others, part of a team working on a nutrition programme, are in "direct touch with the authorities in charge of the negotiation process," Carlos Ugarte, the external relations director of MSF-Spain, told a news conference.
He said the negotiations are "continuing" and identified the officials concerned as Puntland’s deputy governor and chief of police.
Militiamen kidnapped the two workers - a Spanish doctor and an Argentine nurse - yesterday morning in the Puntland
The head of MSF-Spain, Paula Farias, appealed to both the kidnappers and the Puntland authorities to reach a "negotiated solution" and "avoid any armed confrontation."
Ugarte said the kidnappers’ motives remain unclear.
On Monday, militiamen released a French cameraman, Gwen Le Gouil, who had been kidnapped in the same region on December 16. Officials said no ransom was paid.
MSF is one of the few international aid organisations to send international staff to all parts of
But Puntland, which declared its semi-autonomous status in 1998, has been relatively peaceful compared to