NIAMEY, May 25 (Reuters) - Tuareg-led rebels in Niger have freed a local human rights official they abducted after accusing him of being involved in purchasing arms for the government and its army, the rebels and rights officials said on Sunday.

El Hadj Ahamadou Ahalawey, a member of parliament and vice president of Niger's state-funded national human rights commission, was kidnapped by gunmen on May 14 at Tanout in the northeastern Zinder region.

The Tuareg-led rebel Niger Justice Movement (MNJ), which since last year has waged an armed insurgency in the country's uranium-producing north, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. It said Ahalawey had acted as an intermediary in arms purchases for the government.

In a posting on its website, www.m-n-j.blogspot.com, the MNJ said Ahalawey was released on Saturday to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at a location 25 km (15 miles) east of the northern town of Agadez.

Garba Lompo, president of the Niger National Human Rights Commission, also confirmed the release of his deputy.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, had called on Friday for the immediate and unconditional release of the kidnapped man.

The MNJ's desert fighters have killed more than 70 government soldiers over the past year in their campaign to seek more autonomy for the Agadez region, and a greater share of its mineral wealth for the Tuaregs and other tribes who live there.

Niger's Defence Ministry said on Friday its soldiers had killed 11 insurgents in an attack on a rebel base in a mountainous part of the Agadez zone. It said arms, munitions and anti-tank mines were seized from the rebels.

But in a sharply conflicting version of this operation that occurred on Thursday, the MNJ accused government soldiers of killing seven civilians in a raid on nomad camps at the Wells of Tadak, 10 km (6 miles) north of the town of Iferouane.

It said on its website that MNJ fighters fought back against the attacking army column and that in the fighting, four MNJ combatants and five government soldiers were killed.

There was no independent confirmation of the clash. The Niger authorities have blocked foreign journalists from visiting the northern Agadez zone, which is under a state of alert.

In neighbouring Mali, Tuareg rebels have also taken up arms against the government in another insurgency. Niger and Mali security officials suspect there are links between the revolts. (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/) (Reporting by Abdoulaye Massalatchi; Writing by Pascal Fletcher)

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