Current:Home > NewsAbducted U.N. workers free after 18 months in Yemen-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Abducted U.N. workers free after 18 months in Yemen
View Date:2024-12-23 19:40:06
The United Nations said Friday that five staff members who were kidnapped in Yemen 18 months ago have been released.
In a brief statement, Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said all "available information suggests that all five colleagues are in good health."
Haq named the freed men as Akm Sufiul Anam, Mazen Bawazir, Bakeel al-Mahdi, Mohammed al-Mulaiki and Khaled Mokhtar Sheikh. All worked for the U.N. Department of Security and Safety, he said.
"The secretary-general reiterates that kidnapping is an inhumane and unjustifiable crime, and calls for the perpetrators to be held accountable," Haq said. The identity of the kidnappers was not revealed, and no details were provided about what led to the captives' release.
In February 2022, suspected al-Qaida militants abducted five U.N. workers in southern Yemen's Abyan province, Yemeni officials told the Associated Press at the time.
Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, has been active in southern Yemen for years. It is considered one of the global network's most dangerous branches and has attempted to carry out attacks on the U.S. mainland.
Kidnappings are frequent in Yemen, an impoverished nation where armed tribesmen and militants take hostages to swap for prisoners or cash.
Yemen has been ravaged by war since 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the country's capital, and much of the north, and forced the government into exile.
A Saudi-led coalition that included the United Arab Emirates intervened the following year to try to restore Yemen's internationally recognized government to power.
Al-Qaida has since exploited the conflict to cement its presence in the country.
- In:
- United Nations
- Saudi Arabia
- Yemen
- Kidnapping
veryGood! (63)
Related
- Spirit Airlines cancels release of Q3 financial results as debt restructuring talks heat up
- Biden and the EU's von der Leyen meet to ease tensions over trade, subsidy concerns
- Baltimore Aspires to ‘Zero Waste’ But Recycles Only a Tiny Fraction of its Residential Plastic
- Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has another big problem: He won't shut up
- What happens to Donald Trump’s criminal conviction? Here are a few ways it could go
- Eli Lilly cuts the price of insulin, capping drug at $35 per month out-of-pocket
- Homes evacuated after train derailment north of Philadelphia
- Farming Without a Net
- Army veteran reunites with his K9 companion, who served with him in Afghanistan
- 3 congressmen working high-stakes jobs at a high-stakes moment — while being treated for cancer
Ranking
- Will Trump’s hush money conviction stand? A judge will rule on the president-elect’s immunity claim
- Exploring Seinfeld through the lens of economics
- As Big Energy Gains, Can Europe’s Community Renewables Compete?
- Colorado’s Suburban Firestorm Shows the Threat of Climate-Driven Wildfires is Moving Into Unusual Seasons and Landscapes
- Will Trump curb transgender rights? After election, community prepares for worst
- See Chris Pratt and Son Jack’s Fintastic Bonding Moment on Fishing Expedition
- Oregon Allows a Controversial Fracked Gas Power Plant to Begin Construction
- Germany moves toward restrictions on Huawei, as Europe sours on China
Recommendation
-
Panel advises Illinois commemorate its role in helping slaves escape the South
-
Jennifer Lawrence Hilariously Claps Back at Liam Hemsworth Over Hunger Games Kissing Critique
-
Inside Clean Energy: The Era of Fossil Fuel Power Plants Is Rapidly Receding. Here Is Their Life Expectancy
-
The Heartwarming Way John Krasinski Says “Hero” Emily Blunt Inspires Him
-
Man gets a life sentence in the shotgun death of a New Mexico police officer
-
Credit Card Nation: How we went from record savings to record debt in just two years
-
The Handmaid’s Tale Star Yvonne Strahovski Is Pregnant, Expecting Baby No. 3 With Husband Tim Lode
-
Former Child Star Adam Rich’s Cause of Death Revealed