Sana’a: Relatives of a Yemeni woman kidnapped with a French female development worker in Sana’a said on Wednesday they had sought help from tribal leaders and Al Houthi militiamen to secure their release.
Unidentified gunmen seized 30-year-old Isabelle Prime — a consultant working on a World Bank-funded project — and her interpreter Sherine Makkaoui from a car in the capital on Tuesday.
“We contacted various tribal leaders in Sana’a and in the provinces of Jawf and Marib to ensure their cooperation for the release of the two women,” Yassine Makkaoui, the uncle of the Yemeni abductee, said.
“We have also contacted, for the same reason, the interior ministry and the Al Houthis,” he added, referring to the group that has seized power in the capital.
“The kidnapping took place in broad daylight in the centre of Sana’a where the Al Houthis are responsible for maintaining order,” Makkaoui said.
“They control both the ministries of defence and interior, and we hold them responsible” for the fate of the two women, he added.
Prime and her Yemeni colleague were seized after their car was stopped by men dressed as police officers, according to the Frenchwoman’s employer Ayala Consulting.
“There has been some contact” with the kidnappers, Francisco Ayala, president of the consulting firm based in Miami and Ecuador, said on Tuesday.
Yemen has descended into chaos since the Al Houthis swept into Sana’a last year from their northern stronghold.
Prime had been due to leave the restive country in just a matter of days, Ayala said. “Some [expatriate] staff had already left. Isabelle was the only one,” he said.
Prime, a Yemeni colleague and their driver were riding down the main street in Sana’a en route to work when their car was stopped by men dressed as police officers, Ayala said.
Al Houthis moved to take power this month after President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi and Prime Minister Khalid Bahah tendered their resignations.
Hadi retracted his resignation on Tuesday after escaping house arrest in Sana’a, staking a claim to lead the country out of crisis.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Wednesday that efforts were under way to try to secure the release of Prime. He called on all remaining French nationals to leave Yemen.
