FRANCE-YEMEN/HOSTAGE-HOLLANDE Freed French hostage welcomed home by family, Hollande

Record ID: 144727

  • Title: FRANCE-YEMEN/HOSTAGE-HOLLANDE Freed French hostage welcomed home by family, Hollande
  • Date: 7th August 2015
  • Summary: VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, FRANCE (AUGUST 7, 2015) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PLANE CARRYING FREED FRENCH HOSTAGE, ISABELLE PRIME, ARRIVING AT AIRPORT FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER LAURENT FABIUS WALKING TOWARDS PLANE ACCOMPANIED BY PRIME'S FAMILY / PLANE DOOR OPENING, PRIME GETTING OUT, BEING GREETED BY HOLLANDE HOLLANDE, PRIME TALKING JOURNALISTS FILMIN
  • Embargoed: 22nd August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA5VW2HGK6JAELHO88R2MN3AOW3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: French hostage Isabelle Prime, abducted in Yemen in February, returned home on Friday (August 7) where she was met at the airport by members of her family and President Francois Hollande.
    The development worker and her translator Shereen Makawi were abducted by gunmen in the capital Sanaa on February 24 while on their way to work. Yemeni tribal sources said in March, Prime would be released, but only Makawi was freed at the time.
    Prime, appearing in good health, arrived back in France shortly after 1900 local time (1700GMT) where she met Hollande and embraced her family on the airport tarmac.
    Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius had previously told French channel iTele that there had been indications her death was imminent.
    "My detention lasted for about five months but I knew that France was behind me, because it's never given up on one of its compatriots, so thank you. I also want to thank the people who looked after my family and who looked after me when I arrived in Oman," she said, extending her thanks to members of the French diplomatic service.
    "They pick you up when you're in a state of extreme tiredness but they enabled me to get through the first 24-hours of freedom so I could smile again," she added.
    Hollande thanked all who had helped secure her release, including Sultan Qaboos Bin Said of Oman. Neighbouring Oman has often played a mediating role in hostage releases and regional diplomacy.
    "Today is a joyful day and I think that for Isabelle it will remain ingrained in her memory and I hope it will erase five months of captivity. But France can be honoured to have a citizen like Isabelle Prime who's now back home," Hollande told journalists.
    Prime's father was visibly moved and said his thoughts went out to those families of people missing who do not know if they are alive or dead.
    "There are people whose family members disappeared a year ago and they don't know (if they're alive) and that must be awful. I was lucky to know, Isabelle's mum was too, three weeks later that our daughter was alive, which was simply amazing, although we were very worried. But that allowed us to keep going," he said with his daughter at his side.
    Kidnappings of Westerners occur sporadically in Yemen, mostly carried out by al Qaeda militants and tribesmen.
    In recent years, tribesmen in Yemen have taken foreigners hostage to press the government to provide them with services or to free jailed relatives.
    Yemen is also home to one of the most active branches of al Qaeda, to which tribal kidnappers have often sold their victims, according to Yemeni security officials.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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