Islamist group Ansar Dine said Thursday it was holding three Red Cross workers captured in northeastern Mali last weekend and called for the release of a jihadist arrested by French troops for their safe return.

"We have three people who work for the Red Cross. We want Barkhane (French force) to free Miyatene Ag Mayaris before we will release them," Nourredine Ag Mohamed, a senior Islamist Dine militant, told AFP.