Save the Children said Mr Barnard has been well cared for in Somalia A British man released by kidnappers in Somalia is preparing to be reunited with his family in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
Frans Barnard, a security consultant with the UK-based charity Save the Children, had been seized by gunmen in Adado last Thursday.
He has thanked local elders, who negotiated with the kidnappers to secure his release.
Adado leader Mohamed Aden said Mr Barnard had now left for Kenya.
“We are happy that Barnard left Adado in good condition and we are very sorry that he had been kidnapped in our territory,” he told Reuters.
On Wednesday, Save the Children said Mr Barnard was being looked after well in Somalia and was “in good spirits”.
“The main focus for us is to get him back to his family and friends. So we are very optimistic that we can achieve that and we are doing all that we can to reunite him with his family,” said spokeswoman Anna Ford.
Save the Children said no ransom had been paid to his kidnappers and praised Somali clan elders for securing his safe release.
Mr Barnard was seized by armed men on 14 October in Adado, which is near the Ethiopian border.
The area is closely linked to pirate groups who routinely take ships and crew hostage but until now, had been seen as a relatively stable part of Somalia, with aid groups considering relocating there after being forced out of more volatile regions.
Several foreigners have been kidnapped in Somalia in recent years. Most have been freed unhurt.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.