Yemeni tribesmen on Friday kidnapped a South African woman and her two sons in southern Yemen, demanding the release of a relative held by police, a security official told AFP.
"They were taken hostage on Friday afternoon in the area of Shaqra," 150 kilometres (93 miles) east of Aden, in the province of Abyan, the official said requesting anonymity.
He said that the kidnappers, who belong to the tribe of Al Fadl, have demanded the release of a relative who is a public sector employee and had been in custody in Sanaa for a "work related fault."
The three hostages were part of a tourist convoy travelling from the eastern region of Hadramut to the port city of Aden, but were seized when their vehicle lagged behind, he said.
"This allowed the tribesmen to stop the car. They got rid of the (local) driver and the accompanying guard and drove away" in the vehicle which belonged to a tour company, the official added.
The kidnapping took place barely two weeks after a three Germans were released following a five-day ordeal which began with their seizure in the mountainous Bani Dhabyan region east of the capital.
The southern Arabian Peninsula country is one of the world's poorest nations and is a strongly tribal country awash with weapons.
Tribes have abducted more than 200 foreigners over the past 15 years in attempts to extract concessions from the central government, whose writ extends with difficulty over the lawless countryside.
Although kidnappers' demands are normally met, allowing hostages to be freed unharmed, three Britons and an Australian seized by Islamists in December 1998 were killed when security forces stormed their hideout.
Source: AFP Global Edition
