Freed aid worker was kidnapped in Yemen 'for ransom'

Nourane Houas, a Red Cross worker released on Monday after almost one year in captivity in Yemen, had been held for ransom 'not for political reasons', sources said on Tuesday.

MENA

2 min read

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04 October, 2016

Nourane Houas - Oman's official news - twitter

Nourane Houas thanked Oman for its role in securing her release [Twitter]

A Red Cross worker freed after almost a year in captivity in Yemen was held for ransom not for political reasons, diplomatic sources in neighbouring Oman said on Tuesday.

Nourane Houas, 38, an employee of the humanitarian protection programme of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yemen, was abducted in the Houthi rebel-held capital Sanaa in December 2015.

Her abduction was "was a criminal operation for money," a diplomatic source told AFP, without specifying whether any ransom had been paid for the woman's release.

The French-Tunisian dual national, who was released on Monday after mediation by Omani authorities, will remain in Muscat for two to three days, the source added.

Meanwhile, ICRC spokeswoman Rima Kamal declined to be drawn on the identity or motives of the kidnappers.

"We prefer not to speculate on the reasons behind Nourane's abduction and whether it is indeed criminal or not," Kamal told AFP.

"We are not sharing any information in relation to the abductors or their identity for the continuing security and safety of our teams in Yemen."

On her arrival in Muscat, Houas thanked "the sultanate, without which, [her] release would not have happened", according to Oman's official news agency ONA.

Oman is the only Gulf Arab state that is not part of a Saudi-led coalition that has been battling the Houthi rebels and their allies since March last year.

The sultanate has brokered several previous releases of foreigners held in Sanaa.

The abduction of foreigners is common in Yemen, where militant groups such as al-Qaeda and tribesmen use hostages to raise funds through ransom payments or bargain for the release of prisoners.

The Houthis also have held Westerners captives during the war.

Yemen, the Arab world's poorest nation, has been embroiled in fighting that pits the Iran-backed Houthis and forces loyal to a former president against the Saudi-backed and internationally recognised government.

The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the rebels and their allies since March 2015, fearful of Iranian influence spreading across the Arabian Peninsula.

The United Nations and rights groups estimated at least 9,000 people overall have died in the war, with the UN estimating 3,800 civilians have been killed since the airstrike campaign began.

Saudi-led coalition airstrikes were responsible for 60 percent of the civilian deaths over a yearlong span starting in July last year, according to a UN report.

Agencies contributed to this report