From the news desk

Gunmen kidnap French woman in Yemen capital

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Gunmen have kidnapped a French woman and her Yemeni driver in the centre of the capital, Sanaa, while she was heading to work, security sources and France’s foreign ministry have said.

The unidentified gunmen intercepted the vehicle on 45th Street and led the women, who works for an international organisation, and the driver to an unknown location, the security sources said.

The woman’s identity or where she worked was not immediately clear.

“We unfortunately confirm the kidnapping this morning in Sanaa of a French citizen,” read a statement from the French foreign ministry urging “all our compatriots to leave the country as fast as possible”.

Kidnappings are common in Yemen, a country of 25 million where disgruntled tribesmen had frequently seized foreigners to push the government to provide them with services or to free jailed relatives.

The country is also home to one of the most active branches of al-Qaeda which had also targeted foreigners.

Yemen is in turmoil since Houthi fighters seized control of the capital in September. Al Jazeera


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