Nairobi/Khartoum- A Sudanese aid worker employed by a Canadian agency has been shot dead in Sudan's restive Darfur province, the agency's country director said Tuesday.

Mark Simmons, Sudan director for The Fellowship of African Relief (FAR), said that gunmen first ambushed Adam Khatir, 39, on Saturday night in the town of Kongo Haraza to demand his satellite phone.

This attempt failed, but they came to Khatir's home on Monday evening to try again.

"They found out where he lived and went to his home," Simmons told German Press Agency dpa. "He had left it (the phone) in the office, so they shot him dead in front of his wife and four children."

Tensions have risen in Darfur since the International Criminal Court in early March issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

Following the arrest warrant, al-Bashir ordered 13 aid agencies out of Darfur then said all foreign aid agencies should cease operations in Sudan within one year.

The agencies were accused of spying for the US and providing intelligence to the ICC.

There have been reports that attacks on and threats against aid workers have increased, and Simmons said that Khatir's killing may have been linked to what he called "unhelpful statements."

"It is possible that people may feel they can attack non-governmental organizations (since the indictment)," he said.

The UN has warned that the expulsions of NGOs could lead to deaths in refugee camps where millions are dependent on aid.

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the US would hold al-Bashir responsible for any deaths that come about as a result of the expulsions.

The ICC accuses al-Bashir of genocide and other war crimes carried out in Darfur.

The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 when mainly non-Arab tribesmen took up arms against what they called decades of neglect and discrimination by the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum.

The UN says up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced by the conflict. The Sudanese government claims only around 10,000 have died. (dpa)