FRENCH TOURISTS KIDNAPPED IN YEMEN
The official, who declined to be named, said the kidnapping occurred in Shabwa province by members of the Abdullah tribe. Security sources said members of the same tribe, demanding the release of some jailed relatives, had taken hostage, and released, five German tourists last year.
Scores of tourists and foreigners working in Yemen have been kidnapped over the last decade by tribesmen to demanding better schools, roads and services, or the release of jailed relatives but most hostages have been released unharmed.
In January, Yemeni tribesmen freed five Italian tourists unharmed, a week after they had seized them to pressure the government to release jailed relatives.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has vowed to crack down on abductions. Yemen has executed at least two convicted kidnappers so far this year to serve as a deterrent.
Impoverished Yemen hopes to boost its tourism, but attacks by al Qaeda-linked militants and kidnappings by disgruntled tribesmen have scared off many travellers.
The kidnapping of the French tourists coincided with campaigning for the Sept. 20 presidential and municipal elections in Yemen.
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