This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 003614 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2015 
TAGS: PREL ASEC YM
SUBJECT: KIDNAPPINGS IN YEMEN: THE ROYG FACES A DILEMMA 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR THOMAS C. KRAJESKI, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) and ( 
D). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary.  On December 31, a former German government 
official and four of his family members were released 
unharmed after being kidnapped by tribesmen three days 
earlier in Shebwa province.  The ROYG negotiated a peaceful 
settlement with the kidnappers, who had demanded the release 
of other jailed tribesmen.  Apparently emboldened by the 
satisfactory resolution of the German incident, members of 
the Jahm tribe kidnapped five Italian tourists on January 1 
in Marib province, 100 miles east of Sanaa.  The Italians are 
the fourth group of foreigners to be kidnapped in the last 
six weeks.  Each of the previous incidents ended peacefully 
after the tribes negotiated a settlement with the government, 
but reports on January 2 claiming that government forces were 
"besieging" the kidnappers suggested that the ROYG may be 
taking a firmer hand with the most recent incident. 
According to Ministry of Interior sources, no arrests have 
been made in any of the recent kidnappings, but President 
Saleh fired the governors and security chiefs of Marib and 
Shebwa.  The Government faces a serious dilemma: continue 
giving in to tribal demands and encourage more kidnappings, 
or attempt to use force and risk provoking a response from 
tribes that it cannot necessarily control.  End Summary. 
 
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Germans Release, but Italians Taken 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) On December 28, the German Charge informed post that 
former German Deputy Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and 
Ambassador to Washington, Jurgen Chrobog, was kidnapped in 
Shebwa province by the al-Abdullah bin Dahha tribe. 
Chrobog's Egyptian-born wife and three adult sons were also 
kidnapped as the family, vacationing in Yemen, was traveling 
by road from Mukalla to Aden.  The kidnapping took place near 
the coastal town of al-Nushaymah, approximately 175 miles 
east of the port-city of Aden. 
 
¶3.  (C)  The German Charge believed the kidnappers were not 
initially aware that Chrobog was a former government 
official.  ROYG officials were close to reaching a deal for 
the family's release on the same day of the abduction, until 
the tribe learned Chrobog's identity and increased their 
demands.  The tribe demanded the release of five imprisoned 
members being detained for allegedly murdering two members of 
a rival tribe.  After three days of negotiating, the five 
Germans were released unharmed.  The exact details of the 
deal the government brokered with the kidnappers are unknown 
and no arrests have been made. 
 
¶4.  (U)  One day after the Germans' release, a separate tribe 
kidnapped five Italian tourists on January 1 in the Sirwa 
region of Marib province, approximately 100 miles east of 
Sanaa.  The tribe is reportedly demanding the release of 
eight imprisoned members, also being held over a dispute with 
another rival tribe.  Following the Italian abduction, 
President Saleh fired the appointed governors and security 
chiefs of Marib and Shebwa.  FM Abdulbakr al-Qirbi stated 
publicly that the ROYG would not "yield to any demands" made 
by kidnappers. 
 
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Return of Kidnapping? 
--------------------- 
 
¶5. (U)  This is the fourth kidnapping of foreign tourists in 
the past six weeks.  In addition to the Germans, there were 
two other kidnappings that both ended quickly and 
peacefully, and were also carried out by tribes trying to 
pressure the ROYG into releasing or transferring imprisoned 
members.  On November 21, a vacationing Swiss couple was 
kidnapped by a tribal group in Marib province.  The 
kidnappers released the pair several hours after they were 
captured, once the ROYG agreed to transfer an imprisoned 
tribal member to a nearby prison, closer to the family. 
 
¶6.  (U)  On December 20, two Austrian tourists were kidnapped 
from the Al Hateek area of Marib and released unharmed on 
December 24.  The kidnappers reportedly demanded that three 
fellow tribesmen be released from a Political Security 
Organization prison, where they are being held without trial 
on suspicion of traveling to Iraq to participate in the 
insurgency.  The group that kidnapped the Austrian pair told 
a Yemeni newspaper that their intention was not to harm 
anyone, but to bring attention to the lack of due process in 
their relatives' case.  (Note: Due to the kidnappings, post 
issued a warden message on December 20, warning Amcits not to 
travel to Marib.  End Note). 
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Comment 
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¶7.  (C)  Comment:  Kidnapping foreigners was once a 
common-place occurrence in Yemen until  2002, when the ROYG 
began cracking down on offenders.  Since that time, there 
have been only three other incidents before the recent slew 
of kidnappings.  Of those, only the kidnapping of three 
Spanish tourists in August 2005, included the demand for a 
prisoner release.  Previously, tribes used kidnapping as a 
means to pressure the government into providing financial 
resources in areas with a low level of public services. 
Foreigners were usually very well treated and released 
without violence. 
 
¶8.  (C)  While the tribes are continuing to treat abductees 
hospitably, demanding the release of prisoners is a 
divergence from previous practice.  No longer focusing on 
winning resources for underdeveloped areas, the tribes are 
now circumventing the dysfunctional legal system and 
demanding resolution directly from the President. 
 
¶9.  (C)  At the heart of the problem is a lack of 
governmental control in many impoverished tribal areas, 
exacerbated by a weak legal system that lacks any effective 
conflict resolution mechanism.  Public protestations of tough 
action aside, the ROYG has also clearly established a pattern 
of giving into tribal demands and not aggressively pursuing 
perpetrators.  As a consequence, tribes feel increasingly 
confident that they can use foreigners as pawns to win 
concessions from the central government.  If the ROYG takes 
direct military action in an attempt to resolve the most 
recent kidnapping, as reports about "besieging" the 
kidnappers seem to indicate, the Government risks not only 
bringing harm to the kidnap victims, but also possibly 
sparking more unrest among tribal groups that it cannot 
easily contain.  End Comment. 
Krajeski