travel news review


10 February '99
Travel to Yemen is still a no-go according to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Those travellers and foreign workers remaining in Yemen should register with their embassy, keep a low profile and avoid unnecessary travel in the country.

In the last week three Germans were freed unharmed by their kidnappers in Yart district, north of the capital, Sanaa. The areas of Abyan, Marib, Saada, Al Jawaf and Al Mahra, near the Omani border, remain definitely off-limits: it's in these areas where the recent kidnappings have taken place. A dispute over the sovereignty of the Hanish Islands in the Red Sea is continuing and the islands and the coastlines opposite remain a sensitive and potentially dangerous area as well.

29 January '99
A recent travel alert from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises travellers to re-think any travel plans they may have for Yemen and has issued warning to western travellers and expatriates who remain in Yemen.

According to the travel alert, those who have compelling reasons to remain are strongly advised to review their security arrangements; to be extra vigilant; to avoid all travel by road outside main towns; and to keep a low profile, avoiding unnecessary journeys. In particular the travel alert advises against all travel to the areas of Abyan (where the 28/29 December kidnapping occured), Marib (where the 9 January kidnapping occured), Saada (where the 17 January kidnap took place), Al Jawf (north east of Sana'a where hostages are often held) and Al Mahra (near the Omani border.

30 December '98
One Australian and three British tourists kidnapped by fundamental Islamist militants in Yemen were killed when Yemeni soldiers attempted their rescue. 16 tourists travelling in southern Yemen as part of an organised tour were kidnapped on Monday.

The killing of the captured tourists marks a radical change from previous non-violent kidnappings in Yemen, when foreigners were kidnapped by tribespeople in support of local complaints. More than 100 foreigners in the past six years have been kidnapped in Yemen but these are the first deaths to have occured. British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued a warning against travel to Yemen and has urged travellers in Yemen to leave as soon as possible.

23 December '98
Travellers are advised to defer all travel to all Middle East and Gulf countries following military strikes against Iraq. Travellers in Egypt are advised to register at their embassy and to follow local advice. Up to date advice is available on consular web sites.

4 November '98
Two Austrian tourists have been kidnapped in the Abyan district, in southern Yemen, by members of the Bakazem tribe. Kidnapping of foreigners is not so uncommon in Yemen; more than 200 kidnappings have been reported in the past five years. Most kidnapped foreigners are returned unharmed however, as kidnapping generally is used more as a ploy to put pressure on the government than as an anti-foreigner act. Nonetheless, last August the Yemeni government decreed kidnapping of foreigners to be a serious offence and introduced the death penalty for convicted kidnappers.

16 October '98
Air links between Yemen and Eritrea are to recommence after an international tribunal ended a territorial dispute between the two countries. President Ali Abdallah Sale made the decision following a telephone call with his Eritrean counterpart Issaias Afeworki.

The official Yemeni news agency SABA said that both presidents wanted relations to improve, following the settlement of their dispute over the Hanish Islands in the Red Sea. The tribunal, sitting in London on Friday, ruled that sovereignty over the islands should be shared by Yemen and Eritrea. Twelve people died in clashes between the two countries in December 1995.

22 April '98
A British family in Yemen has been kidnapped by men from the Bani Dabiyn tribe. Apparently kidnapping of foreign workers is a common ploy used by Yemeni people who are dissatisfied with the government or have a grievance against foreign oil companies working in Yemen. Most hostages are returned unharmed, but despite this, the Yemeni government has moved a number of soldiers near to the town where hostages are being held.