Red Cross Member Abducted in Darfur

The International Committee of the Red Cross says one of its staff members has been kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region.

In a statement, the ICRC says Gauthier Lefevre, a French national, was abducted Thursday near the town of Al Geneina in West Darfur.

It says Lefevre was traveling in one of two clearly marked Red Cross vehicles when unidentified kidnappers seized him around midday local time.

The ICRC says Lefevre and other Red Cross staff had just completed a field trip to help local communities upgrade their water systems.

The agency says it is working with local authorities to secure the man's release.

Foreign aid groups have faced increased hostility in Darfur since the International Criminal Court indicted Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir earlier this year for alleged war crimes.

Two workers for the Irish aid group GOAL were kidnapped in July and spent three months in captivity before being released on Sunday.

Two civilian employees of the joint United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur remain captive after being kidnapped in August.