Yemeni tribesmen capture SA woman, two sons

Yemeni tribesmen on Friday kidnapped a South African woman and her two sons in southern Yemen, demanding the release of a relative held by police, a security official told Agence France-Presse.

“They were taken hostage on Friday afternoon in the area of Shaqra,” 150km east of Aden, in the province of Abyan, the official said, requesting anonymity.

He said that the kidnappers, who belong to the tribe of Al Fadl, have demanded the release of a relative who is a public-sector employee and had been in custody in Sanaa for a “work related fault”.

The three hostages were part of a tourist convoy travelling from the eastern region of Hadramut to the port city of Aden, but were seized when their vehicle lagged behind, he said.

“This allowed the tribesmen to stop the car. They got rid of the [local] driver and the accompanying guard and drove away” in the vehicle which belonged to a tour company, the official added.

Tribes in Yemen have abducted more than 200 foreigners over the past 15 years in attempts to extract concessions from the central government, whose writ extends with difficulty over the lawless countryside.