American and French Hostages Being Held in Yemen

Multiple reports have surfaced over the weekend of Western hostages being held in Yemen.

On May 30, news surfaced of four Americans being held captive by Houthi rebels that recently seized power from Yemen’s government. They are believed to be in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. Few details about the captives were released for privacy and security reasons, but three work in private-sector jobs and one holds dual US-Yemeni citizenship. None of them work for the US government. Attempts to free them were unsuccessful; one was cleared for release by the Houthis, who then reversed their decision.

On June 1, Isabelle Prime, a thirty-year-old French woman being held hostage in Yemen, appeared in a video. Prime was in Yemen doing consulting work with the World Bank at the time of her capture. She was taken hostage in Sanaa along with her Yemeni translator, Chérine Makkaoui, by men disguised as police officers. According to Makkaoui, who was freed in March, Prime has been tortured. This was the first video of Prime since she was captured on February 24, and the most recent sign that she is still alive. The video, filmed in the desert, is a twenty-second clip of  Prime asking French President François Hollande and the internationally recognized President of Yemen, Abdo Rabo Mansour Hadi, to secure her release because she is tired and has tried multiple times to kill herself. She is being held by an unidentified group asking a ransom of a million dollars. Tribal leaders and Houthi officials have been asked to help with negotiations to free her, but the absence of a legitimate political authority in Yemen, as well as the current Saudi-led airstrikes against the Houthis, has complicated the process. Though the identity of Prime’s captors is not certain, in April Makkaoui raised the possibility of involvement by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) or one of its affiliated groups.

The American hostages, being held by the Houthis, present a worrisome situation because the Houthi rebels currently control the Yemeni government after forcing the internationally recognized government out earlier this year. The United States has traditionally enjoyed a working relationship with Yemen and has invested in its infrastructure and energy export market. With the Houthi rebel group now in power and capturing American citizens, the US is losing an ally in the Middle East, which is already a region where the US has had difficulty establishing relationships.

The French hostage situation and probable connection to an unidentified terrorist group presents a different problem because it demonstrates that, separate from the Houthis, terrorist organizations are actively attacking Western targets. Saudi Arabia is currently heading a coalition fighting against the Houthis, who control the government. If they are able to successfully force them to give up control, a power vacuum could be created if the internationally recognized government does not return, creating an opportunity for a terrorist organization to step in and try to seize power.

Although the two situations present different potential problems, both need to be addressed by securing the release of the hostages and through the creation of courses of action. In the case of the American hostages, the US should continue to aid Saudi Arabia in the restoration of the internationally recognized government. In regards to the Isabelle Prime and the French hostage situation, the Saudi-backed coalition must not only work to push the Houthis out of the government, but should also try to bring back the internationally recognized government as quickly as possible.