Yemeni kidnappers to go on trial after Eid holidays

Sanaa: The tribesmen involved in the kidnapping of five tourists will go on trial after the Eid Al Adha holidays, Yemen official sources said on Monday.

"Those who were involved in kidnapping the five Italian tourists will be referred to the general prosecution next Sunday for trial in the specialised penal court," the state-run 26 September website quoted an unidentified security official as saying.

The five Italians were released last Friday after being held captive east of Yemen for six days by tribesmen demanding the release of jailed relatives. Minster of Interior Dr Rashad Al Aleemy confirmed the government will keep cracking down on abductions which offend Yemen and its religious and moral values.

"The kidnappings which happened to some tourists in Yemen are eccentric and accidental and individual incidents and the government will confront such action severely," Al Aleemy said in a meeting which brought together ambassadors of Italy, Germany, Japan and France on Monday.

Observers say, however, the government should offer solutions to deal with the issue. They say the responsibility rests on both the government and the tribesmen

"The government should study the demands of the tribesmen," said Dr Mohammad Al Daheri, an expert in Yemeni tribal affairs.

"The rule of law should be respected by all, development projects should be distributed fairly between all provinces and districts and tribes," added Al Daheri, a professor and chairman of Sanaa university's politics department.

"The tribesmen express their demands and anger through three ways: tribal gathering, tribal banditry and kidnappings," he said, while condemning the kidnappings.

He said unfortunately the tribesmen considered the government an opponent.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has vowed to crack down on abductions and has said kidnappers will be prosecuted.

The authorities have been taking severe measures to combat the kidnapping of tourists after the country witnessed four cases in less than two months. The tribesmen kidnapped tourists to force the government to free their relatives from prison. All tourists were released unharmed.

- The writer is a journalist based in Sanaa