On April 16 when driving home to the their base town of Kidal, four members lost contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). One member was found the following day and reported that a man had accosted them on a motorcycle and demanded that they follow him.

After being held for several days, the remaining three members were released unharmed. Their release was not a part of any prisoner swap or deal. Further details are limited for security reasons.

The Kidal region still has many active armed groups, including Islamist militants. Deadly attacks in Mali and neighboring states have been linked to them. The UN has peacekeepers in Northern Mali and France has a military mission in the region working on combating Islamists.

To read more, visit:

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFKCN0XF2AG
http://www.euronews.com/newswires/3182037-three-red-cross-officials-missing-in-northern-mali/
http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mali-security-redcross-idUKKCN0XF27W