Spanish man kidnapped in North Africa, Foreign Ministry says

MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish man has been kidnapped in North Africa, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, without providing details.

El Pais newspaper reported that the man was kidnapped in southern Algeria by an Islamist group and taken to Mali, though the Foreign Ministry did not confirm that information.

"Several reliable sources confirmed a Spanish citizen is currently held against his will in Northern Africa," a foreign ministry spokesperson said. "The government is working actively to clarify all the aspects and solve the issue."

Spain is in the middle of a dispute between Morocco and Algeria over the Western Sahara, which was controlled by Spain until 1975 and is now claimed by Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks its independence.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro)