There is confusion over the fate of some 15 foreigners whose reported kidnapping in Ethiopia sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity. The tourists include 11 French nationals and a number of Britons, several linked to the government and one said to be the wife of a senior UK official.

Ten of the missing are now reported to have been located after calling their tour operator in Addis Ababa. They said their satellite phone had not been working.

It had been claimed the westerners were seized a few days ago in the remote and inhospitable Afar region.

Tourists have been kidnapped there in the past.

Separatists in the region have fought a low-level rebellion against the government since the 1990s, calling for an independent state.

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