The Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi confirmed the release of 11 foreign nationals including seven Indians detained by the Houthi militia group nearly four months after being held hostages.
Announcing the release of the captives from the clutch of UN designated Houthi terrorist group, the Foreign Minister of Oman Badr Albusaidi said, “Delighted to confirm that Captain Carlos Demata, Mohammed Jashim Khan, Ayenachew Mekonen, Dipash Moota Parambil, Akhil Reghu, Surya Hidayat Pratama, Sreejith Sanjeevan, Mohammed Munawar Sameer, Sandeep Singh, Luke Symons and his wife and child, Maung Than and Veera V S S G Vasamsetti have been released from custody in Yemen earlier today.
The Omani Foreign Minister further said that all those released are now safely in care of Oman and will be flown back to their countries soon. “We are deeply grateful for the noble and humanitarian efforts made by many parties in good faith, not least the Yemeni leadership in Sanaa, to bring this to fruition. Let’s hope we are entering a new and better phase in Yemen,” he added.
Reportedly, of the total 11 members including seven Indians, the remaining four members on board the ship come from Ethiopia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines.
Along with the release of 11 crew members on-board the UAE flagged ship, Rwabee, the Houthis also released a British national Luke Symons along with his wife and child. Symons was detained in 2017 by the Houthi rebels in charge of ‘spying’, a claim however rejected by his family as ‘ridiculous’.
Houthis which are said to be backed by Iranians earlier in January 2022, seized the UAE flagged ship Rwabee off the port of Hodeidah (Yemen) with 11 crew members (including seven Indians) onboard the ship.
India thanks Oman for their assistance in safe release of Indian sailors
Reacting on the major development, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar thanked his Omani counterpart for their assistance in the safe release of Indian sailors.
“Thank you my friend Badr Albusaidi for your help and assistance. Look forward to their safe homecoming,” EAM Dr. S Jaishankar said.
The Indian Government had intensified its efforts for the release of the Indian crew member since the seizure of ship from the Red Sea earlier in January. According to the release by Ministry of External Affairs, the government have time and again raked up the issue for safe passage of Indian sailors onboard the ship with various parties concerned. The issue was also taken up by the Indian delegation at the United Nations Security Council.
“All the seven Indian hostages have safely arrived at the Muscat. Oman, and are expected to travel back to India shortly,” the release further added.
Now Yemen creating nightmare for sailors
Yemen, (bounded to the south by the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea and to the west by the Red Sea), battered by a deadly conflict, now in the eighth year, have rigged the maritime navigation in the Red Sea, one of the world’s most valuable trade route.
Reportedly, since the fall of capital Sanaa in 2014, the Houthis have attacked ships, seized vessels and launched deployed bomb-laden drone boats into the Red Sea, drawing global condemnation.
With the tensions escalating in Yemen, recently the US Navy said with the help of allied countries a new task force will be established to patrol the Red Sea, a waterway crucial to global trade, new task force to patrol Red Sea.
Yemen, one of the Arab’s poorest countries is embroiled in a proxy war between a pro-Government Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels. The conflict now in its eighth year, have led to the killings of thousands of people and displacing more. According to CAAC, since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, now in its eighth year, more than 10,200 children have been killed or maimed.
