Kenyans freed

Two Kenyans working for a printing firm in Somalia's capital have been freed unharmed two days after being seized.

They were abducted by a group of 10 masked men from a shop in Mogadishu's main Bakara market, controlled by the Islamist al-Shabab militia.

The pair have since returned to Kenya.

It is not clear if a ransom was paid.

Aid workers and foreigners are frequently kidnapped in Somalia, which has not had a functioning national government for 18 years.

Two Somalis seized at the same time late on Sunday were released soon afterwards.

"They are safe... We gave them a vacation," said Abdukar Ali, manager of the Hamar Ade printing centre where all four men had worked, reports the Reuters news agency.

The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu says the company prints billboards, receipts and books.

Last year, a Kenyan teacher was seized but was later released.

Two journalists from Canada and Australia are currently being held.

Several sailors are also being held by pirates in northern Somalia.

The UN-backed government only controls a few key areas of Mogadishu.

Meanwhile, seven Somalis, captured at sea by German naval forces last month appeared in a Mombasa court accused of piracy.

They are accused of attempting to hijack a French fishing boat.

The magistrate remanded them in custody until January, when their trial is expected to begin