The seven Indian sailors kidnapped by Yemen’s Houthi rebels when they captured a UAE-flagged commerce vessel on January 2 are safe, India announced on Thursday, though the captors have not given them access.
The Houthis have taken custody of eleven crew members, including one Indian, after seizing the vessel Rwabee in the Red Sea. The rebels said the ship was carrying “military supplies” and had entered Yemeni seas “without authorization” off the coast of Hudaydah. The crew’s release has been demanded by both India and the United Arab Emirates.
India has urged Yemen’s Houthi rebels to release seven Indian sailors who were abducted by the Iran-backed militia in the Red Sea while aboard a UAE vessel. The Indians, along with other crew members, were apprehended on January 2, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. According to the MEA, all of the captured Indians are safe and in good health.
“Physical access to the crew has not been made accessible, including through the UN mission in Hudaydah,” said Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the ministry of external affairs.
We keep in touch with a variety of sources, including our regional embassies. We do know that on January 28, the captors permitted one of the Indian sailors to speak with his wife. All of the crew members are safe, the sailor assured his wife. “We will continue to keep an eye on this situation,” he stated.
The Indian side had already made contact with the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement, or UNMHA, to inquire about the sailors’ well-being and to communicate to the Houthis a message that they should be released as soon as possible.
Aside from the Rwabee, the Houthis murdered two Indians and injured two more in a drone attack on Abu Dhabi on January 17. The strike appears to have been carried out in retaliation for the UAE’s participation in the coalition fighting the Houthis.
During a phone discussion with his UAE counterpart, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar condemned the “terror attack” of January 17.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
