A Frenchman kidnapped in lawless northern Mali is being held by armed Islamists in the Sahara desert, a security official said Friday.

- All the information that we have confirms that (Pierre) Camatte has fallen into the hands of armed Islamists in the Sahara - said the official, speaking anonymously.

- We immediately passed the information to the French authorities - said the official.

The Islamists "did not come themselves" to abduct the Frenchman, the official said, adding that - there were intermediaries and these could even be acquaintances of Camatte. -

Camatte, 61, was abducted from his hotel overnight from Wednesday to Thursday in Menaka in the Sahel zone of northern Mali more than 1,500 kilometres (1,000 miles) from the capital Bamako.

About 100 kilometeres from the Niger border, the region is plagued by Tuareg rebels, Al-Qaeda militants and all kinds of traffickers.

Earlier Friday, Mali's government said its soldiers had been drafted in to hunt for Camatte.

In recent years, several Western nationals have been kidnapped in neighbouring Niger or in Tunisia and brought to northern Mali.

With the exception of one British hostage killed in June, all were released. According to observers, ransoms were paid in all cases but the governments concerned vehemently deny this.

Camatte regularly visits Mali, where he is involved in cultivating a plant known for its anti-malarial properties, according to the organisation he heads that is involved in the work.

The Malian government, for its part, has said the Frenchman settled in Menaka last year where he leads a non-governmental organisation dedicated to fighting malaria in the region and manages a hotel.