The source, who did not want to be named, said the Briton and Kenyan were being held near where they were seized on Wednesday, some 75 miles (120 km) south of Puntland's main port Bossaso. They worked for the CARE International relief agency.
"The hostages are fine and healthy. We have provided them with water and food, they have no problem," the source told Reuters by telephone. "Our clan elders have communicated with us and we have started dialogue with them. They have told the governor of Bari province to wait for word from them."
He gave no other details about the pair. The Briton is from Northern Ireland. One maritime official says they may have been taken hostage by local fishermen for use as a "bargaining chip" in a dispute with the authorities over fishing permits.
Meanwhile, a senior U.N. official in Mogadishu for talks with the interim government said he would travel to Puntland in the north to appeal in person for the release of the hostages.
"They have to release them unconditionally," Francois Fall, the U.N. special envoy for Somalia, told reporters.
Puntland runs itself independently from the rest of Somalia and has been relatively more peaceful in recent years.
But the whole
Somali region has a
history of
abductions and
assassinations of
local and foreign
aid workers,
particularly in the
self-declared
independent enclave
of Somaliland.
Authorities
generally blame
militant Islamists
for attacks on
foreigners.
Landmine blast kills two in Mogadishu
Meanwhile, in Somalia's coastal capital Mogadishu, a landmine blast killed two civilians in an attack apparently targeting a truck carrying government troops, witnesses said.
"It exploded as soon as the vehicle passed the junction. One government soldier was also wounded," resident Hassan Omar said.
Local media said two civilians were also hurt late on Wednesday when unidentified assailants threw a hand grenade at Somali troops guarding a checkpoint near the presidential villa.
Backed by Ethiopian troops, tanks and warplanes, Somali forces ousted rival Islamist leaders in January and are trying to secure the capital after a surge of bloody fighting.
On Wednesday, Somali security forces in the city were seizing and even burning Muslim women's veils in an effort to stop Islamist insurgents disguising themselves for attacks.
The government has been fighting an insurgency that has killed at least 1,300 people since February. Just days ago, it declared victory, but is still wary of guerrilla-style attacks.
About 1,500 Ugandan peacekeepers are in Mogadishu as the vanguard of a proposed 8,000-strong African Union force.
