Five staff members of the United Nations working in southern Yemen were abducted, the UN announced on Saturday. The staff members, four of them Yemeni nationals, were abducted on Friday while returning from a field mission to Aden, according to the UN. The UN is working to secure their release, a spokesman in Yemen told Reuters. In addition, the internationally recognized government of Yemen also is working to free the captive UN workers.
The abductors are believed to be loyal to al-Qaida, The Associated Press reported. Tribal leaders in the area, who also are negotiating for the UN workers’ release, said that the kidnappers have demanded a ransom and the release of some fellow al-Qaida members who are in prison under the auspices of the internationally recognized government.