Yemeni tribesmen free French tourists

A group of French tourists, taken hostage in Yemen, have been released according to a police chief from the Shabwa province where they were seized. The four were kidnapped on September 10 near Ataq by members of a local tribe who were demanding the release of jailed relatives.

Police chief, Abderrahm Hanache, says the tourists will be flown from Ataq to the capital, Sanaa. It is not clear whether the kidnappers’ demands were met. Resident Ali Abdullah Saleh, re-elected for another seven-year term last week, has vowed to crack down on abductions – a common tribesman tactic – he announced yesterday the release of the French group was imminent.

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