SANAA, 30 December 2005 — Yemeni tribesmen holding hostage former German Deputy Foreign Minister Juergen Chrobog, 65, his wife and three children have vowed not to release them until their demand for the release of jailed fellow tribesmen is met, tribal sources said yesterday.
Tribal chief Sheikh Al-Ahmar Ali Al-Aswad is holding the German family as bargaining counters for the release of five brothers who have been imprisoned by Yemeni authorities, a tribal source identifying himself as Abu Khairalah told AFP.
“The release of the five brothers is the only demand,” he said, adding that “a pledge by sheikhs of other tribes or officials to solve the issue according to tribal traditions might suffice”.
The five brothers, who belong to the Al-Abdullah Al-Daham tribe, were imprisoned “because of a tribal vendetta that they have nothing to do with,” he added.
Head of the Shebwa governor’s office, Abdallah Al-Qadi, said that he expected negotiations to result in the release of the hostages soon.
But a man identifying himself as one of the kidnappers denied any progress in negotiations with the authorities.
