23 - 29 August 2001
Issue No.548
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 23 - 29 August 2001 Issue No.548 |
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Hostage drama continues
Almost a month after the kidnapping of a German diplomat in Yemen, the government remains unable to determine his whereabouts, reports Nasser Arrabyee from Sana'a
Nearly one month after the kidnapping of a top German diplomat in Yemen, authorities said they were almost certain that the 55-year-old Rainer Berns, was being held by members of the Jehm tribe in Marib region, 180 kilometres east of the capital, Sana'a. However, security officials conceded that they remained unable to determine precisely where Berns is being held.
Berns, who served as a trade attaché, was kidnapped by unidentified armed men on 27 July while driving in the Yemeni capital with his family.
Unlike other kidnapping incidents involving Western nationals that have occurred in Yemen during the last decade, the demands of the abductors remain obscure.
This week, the 26 September newspaper, mouthpiece of the armed forces, said that Berns' kidnappers had demanded financial ransom in return for release of their hostage.
However, the English weekly The Yemen Times, reported a more detailed set of demands. It said that two of the kidnappers from the Jehm tribe, who belong to the Islamic Jihad movement, had demanded $1 million as ransom to be paid before negotiations begin for the release of Berns. It added that the kidnappers had also demanded the release of Islamic Jihad members imprisoned due to their involvement in similar incidents. Yemeni officials deny that the Islamic Jihad movement was behind the kidnapping and a spokesman at the German embassy in Sana'a told Al-Ahram Weekly that the embassy could neither confirm nor deny the information published by The Yemen Times.
Meanwhile, the governor of Marib province, Najee Assofi, has been holding meetings with tribal sheikhs to put pressure on the kidnappers to release the German hostage unharmed.
The government reportedly gave Jehm tribal leaders one more week to end the crisis either by intervening to secure Berns' release, determine his whereabouts, or identify the kidnappers.
"This is the last chance for the tribe and they must seize it, otherwise the government cannot be blamed for the actions it chooses to take," said one of the tribal leaders involved in the mediation effort.
Minister of Interior Rahee Al-Aleemi also addressed a letter to the leaders of the Jehm tribe urging them to ensure "the immediate and unconditional" release of the German diplomat. Al-Aleemi also warned that if Berns is not released soon, Yemeni security forces may intervene.
Berns is the second German national to have been taken hostage in Yemen during the last two months. In June, a 22-year old German student was released unharmed after he spent three weeks as the hostage of tribesmen demanding state services for their region, located east of Sana'a.
Some Yemeni tribesmen believe that kidnapping diplomats or foreigners allows them to bargain more effectively with the government over their demands for improved infrastructure and services or to obtain the release of imprisoned relatives. Kidnappers usually treat their hostages well and often refer to them as "guests."
However, the December 1998 kidnapping of 16 tourists by the Aden-Abyan Army, a militant Islamist group, ended with the death of four foreigners in a botched rescue attempt. In addition, a Norwegian diplomat was killed in the crossfire during a rescue operation last year.
Among those kidnapped in the last decade include a US diplomat in 1993, a French diplomat in 1996 and finally the Polish ambassador last year. More than 200 foreigners have been kidnapped since 1990, most of them Western nationals including more than 20 Germans.
Kidnappings have occurred more frequently in the Marib province, where some of Yemen's most famous archaeological sites are located and which is home to four powerful tribes.
The government has repeatedly vowed to crack down on this phenomenon and has proclaimed the death penalty for kidnappers. But so far, only the perpetrators of the December 1998 kidnapping of the 16 Western nationals have been executed, a punishment that some suggested was given because of the hostage-takers membership in a militant group.
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