French aid workers missing in Yemen
2011-05-28 23:09
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Yemen
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Aden - Three French aid workers disappeared in Yemen's southern province of Hadramout on Saturday and a local security official said they were believed to have been kidnapped.
The French Foreign Ministry said the three were missing in the Arabian Peninsula country, in the grip of civil unrest for months, but it was unclear whether they had been abducted.
"We confirm that we are aware of the disappearance of some French citizens in Yemen. We are talking about three people.
"We are not yet in a position to say whether they have been kidnapped," a ministry spokesperson said in Paris.
The Yemen official told Reuters security forces were combing the area for the two women and one man, who were believed to have been seized after leaving a restaurant.
He said the three worked for an organisation called Triangle and Lyon-based Triangle Generation Humanitaire confirmed they were members of its staff.
No word from workers
Kidnappings of Western tourists or workers by tribes seeking ransom or concessions from the government have been frequent in Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries. Most of the hostages have been freed unharmed.
The organisation has operations in Yemen including aiding Somali refugees and helping provide clean water in the southern port of Aden, according to its website.
A Triangle spokesperson told Reuters there had been no word from its three workers since 10:00 GMT. He declined to give their names.
"For the moment, we have no news. We are in a crisis situation, information is arriving little by little," he said.
He said they had been on their way home from work, not leaving a restaurant.
"Movements are extremely limited given the situation in Yemen," he added.
The agency had been working in Yemen since 1998 and the three missing workers were involved in water management and food safety programmes, he said.
