Yemen arrests suspected kidnappers of French tourists

Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa
Published: Friday September 29, 2006

Sana'a- Yemeni security forces arrested Friday five tribesmen accused of taking four French tourists hostage for two weeks in the south-east of the country, a state-run website reported. Quoting police sources, the defence ministry's website said the five men were being interrogated and would be prosecuted. The report did not provide the names of the five detainees.

The four French tourists flew home on Wednesday, two days after they were freed by armed tribesmen in the south-eastern province of Shabwa.

They were abducted on September 10 in the Haban district of Shabwa, about 460 kilometres from the capital Sana'a, by armed men of the al-Abdullah clan who were seeking to press the Yemeni authorities to release five jailed fellow clan members.

Tribal sources said that Yemeni parliamentarians and tribal chieftains secured the hostages' release after a deal was brokered with the kidnappers.

Under the deal, the abductors received promises from the government that five members of the al-Abdullah clan being held by authorities over a running vendetta with another clan would be released later this week.

A Yemeni Interior Ministry statement, however, said that police and army troops had also assisted in the men's release on Monday, but that "no force was used."

Al-Abdullah is the same clan that kidnapped and held a German diplomat, his wife and three sons and four Italian tourists for several days in December 2005.

Armed tribesmen from impoverished areas of Yemen often take hostages and use them as bargaining chips with the government to press for aid, jobs or the release of detained fellow clansmen.

More than 200 foreigners have been kidnapped since 1991 in Yemen, almost all released unharmed through mediation involving tribal leaders.

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa