Confusion still prevails in German hostage case

Yemen questions 40, Expands investigation to three provinces

YEMEN -  The security authorities declined to give information about the developments of the kidnapped Germans and the British man, under the pretext of maintaining investigation confidentiality. Major Majed Jabr, a field commander in Sa’adah, said he and his team are not allowed to give any information to the media. On the other hand, a reliable source in Abdulmalik al-Houthi’s office told the Yemen Observer that they know nothing about the location of the hostages, adding that they have no new information in regard to them.

 Al-Houthi’s office denied any split between al-Houthi and Abdulmalik al-Razami, the field commander of the Houthis, adding that this is old intelligence propaganda that they often hear from time to time, and that they will not achieve their objectives.

 Al-Houthi’s office spokesman ensured that there have not been any truce violations up to now by the Houthis, and regarding Sa’adah rehabilitation, he said that they only hear about it in the media, but there is nothing real on the ground. Yemen is questioning more than 40 people in connection with the kidnapping of a group of nine Germans and other foreigners that led to the murder of three hostages, the Yemeni information minister said on Tuesday.

“We still have no information about the fate of the remaining six hostages,” Minister of Information Hasan al-Lawzi said in a weekly press conference with reporters. He told the Yemen Observer that “more than 40 people are being questioned,” but he did not confirm whether or not they have been arrested. Yemen’s Information Minister said on Tuesday that he hoped the six foreign hostages seized in the restive northern region of Sa’adah are alive, highlighting uncertainty about their fate.

Al-Lawzi said that the security process has expanded to include three others provinces: Mareb, al-Jawef, and Hajah. Three women - two Germans and a South Korean -- who disappeared along with the missing six were found dead last week. The remaining hostages include five Germans and one Briton. No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping or murders.

 “Two main suspects in the kidnapping are being questioned,” Lawzi said, adding that they had originally “contacted the authorities informing them of the kidnapping,” apparently posing as informers. “They were on the run, but have since been handed in,” he said. A tribal source on Monday identified the kidnappers as Huthi rebel fighters. “Security authorities have been clear in accusing the Huthis of being behind the kidnapping.

 The Saada region is controlled by the Huthi rebels,” Lawzi said. Analysts believe that this incident shows how complications prevail in Sa'adah, and how clashes of interests among all key players in drug and arms trafficking usually grow in the weak Yemeni borders. The interests are run by several beneficiaries ranging from Islamist leaders to tribal leaders to death traders. The theory of foreign hands acting in Sa'adah leads many analysts to believe that Sa'adah has become the battlefield for many outside forces like Iran, Libya, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

All of this has made the city an unknown area where there are no channels for information, and where management of incidents is characterized by improvisation and reactions, as seen in the case of the kidnapped Germans. Some think that the state is the side that knows the least about what is happening.

 Analyst Majid al-Madhaji, said this is what caused German intelligence to speak openly about their teams working on the case directly with no coordination with Yemeni authorities. Until the writing of this article, nothing is certain or sure about the identity of the kidnappers and the whereabouts of the kidnapped Germans and British citizens. Yemeni experts believe that if this case is solved, it will reveal many things about the governorate and the clashes occurring within it.

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