KIDNAPPINGS IN YEMEN: THE ROYG FACES A DILEMMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 003614 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2015 TAGS: PREL ASEC YM SUBJECT: KIDNAPPINGS IN YEMEN: THE ROYG FACES A DILEMMA Classified By: AMBASSADOR THOMAS C. KRAJESKI, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) and ( D). ¶1. (C) Summary. On December 31, a former German government official and four of his family members were released unharmed after being kidnapped by tribesmen three days earlier in Shebwa province. The ROYG negotiated a peaceful settlement with the kidnappers, who had demanded the release of other jailed tribesmen. Apparently emboldened by the satisfactory resolution of the German incident, members of the Jahm tribe kidnapped five Italian tourists on January 1 in Marib province, 100 miles east of Sanaa. The Italians are the fourth group of foreigners to be kidnapped in the last six weeks. Each of the previous incidents ended peacefully after the tribes negotiated a settlement with the government, but reports on January 2 claiming that government forces were "besieging" the kidnappers suggested that the ROYG may be taking a firmer hand with the most recent incident. According to Ministry of Interior sources, no arrests have been made in any of the recent kidnappings, but President Saleh fired the governors and security chiefs of Marib and Shebwa. The Government faces a serious dilemma: continue giving in to tribal demands and encourage more kidnappings, or attempt to use force and risk provoking a response from tribes that it cannot necessarily control. End Summary. -------------- Germans Release, but Italians Taken -------------- ¶2. (U) On December 28, the German Charge informed post that former German Deputy Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to Washington, Jurgen Chrobog, was kidnapped in Shebwa province by the al-Abdullah bin Dahha tribe. Chrobog's Egyptian-born wife and three adult sons were also kidnapped as the family, vacationing in Yemen, was traveling by road from Mukalla to Aden. The kidnapping took place near the coastal town of al-Nushaymah, approximately 175 miles east of the port-city of Aden. ¶3. (C) The German Charge believed the kidnappers were not initially aware that Chrobog was a former government official. ROYG officials were close to reaching a deal for the family's release on the same day of the abduction, until the tribe learned Chrobog's identity and increased their demands. The tribe demanded the release of five imprisoned members being detained for allegedly murdering two members of a rival tribe. After three days of negotiating, the five Germans were released unharmed. The exact details of the deal the government brokered with the kidnappers are unknown and no arrests have been made. ¶4. (U) One day after the Germans' release, a separate tribe kidnapped five Italian tourists on January 1 in the Sirwa region of Marib province, approximately 100 miles east of Sanaa. The tribe is reportedly demanding the release of eight imprisoned members, also being held over a dispute with another rival tribe. Following the Italian abduction, President Saleh fired the appointed governors and security chiefs of Marib and Shebwa. FM Abdulbakr al-Qirbi stated publicly that the ROYG would not "yield to any demands" made by kidnappers. -------------- Return of Kidnapping? -------------- ¶5. (U) This is the fourth kidnapping of foreign tourists in the past six weeks. In addition to the Germans, there were two other kidnappings that both ended quickly and peacefully, and were also carried out by tribes trying to pressure the ROYG into releasing or transferring imprisoned members. On November 21, a vacationing Swiss couple was kidnapped by a tribal group in Marib province. The kidnappers released the pair several hours after they were captured, once the ROYG agreed to transfer an imprisoned tribal member to a nearby prison, closer to the family. ¶6. (U) On December 20, two Austrian tourists were kidnapped from the Al Hateek area of Marib and released unharmed on December 24. The kidnappers reportedly demanded that three fellow tribesmen be released from a Political Security Organization prison, where they are being held without trial on suspicion of traveling to Iraq to participate in the insurgency. The group that kidnapped the Austrian pair told a Yemeni newspaper that their intention was not to harm anyone, but to bring attention to the lack of due process in their relatives' case. (Note: Due to the kidnappings, post issued a warden message on December 20, warning Amcits not to travel to Marib. End Note). -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) Comment: Kidnapping foreigners was once a common-place occurrence in Yemen until 2002, when the ROYG began cracking down on offenders. Since that time, there have been only three other incidents before the recent slew of kidnappings. Of those, only the kidnapping of three Spanish tourists in August 2005, included the demand for a prisoner release. Previously, tribes used kidnapping as a means to pressure the government into providing financial resources in areas with a low level of public services. Foreigners were usually very well treated and released without violence. ¶8. (C) While the tribes are continuing to treat abductees hospitably, demanding the release of prisoners is a divergence from previous practice. No longer focusing on winning resources for underdeveloped areas, the tribes are now circumventing the dysfunctional legal system and demanding resolution directly from the President. ¶9. (C) At the heart of the problem is a lack of governmental control in many impoverished tribal areas, exacerbated by a weak legal system that lacks any effective conflict resolution mechanism. Public protestations of tough action aside, the ROYG has also clearly established a pattern of giving into tribal demands and not aggressively pursuing perpetrators. As a consequence, tribes feel increasingly confident that they can use foreigners as pawns to win concessions from the central government. If the ROYG takes direct military action in an attempt to resolve the most recent kidnapping, as reports about "besieging" the kidnappers seem to indicate, the Government risks not only bringing harm to the kidnap victims, but also possibly sparking more unrest among tribal groups that it cannot easily contain. End Comment. Krajeski