Egyptian Ambassador to Yemen Ashraf Akl and Egyptian Consul in Aden Haddad El-Gohary are coordinating with the Yemeni government to secure the release of two Egyptian nationals who were abducted on Monday in the Abyan governorate by members of a Yemeni tribe. The tribe abducted the Egyptians to put pressure on the Yemeni government to meet their demands for political reforms, according to an official statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. Neither the name of the tribe nor the specifics of their demands can be disclosed until the abductees have been released, according to Mohamed El-Guindy, spokesperson for the Egyptian embassy in Yemen. “We've ensured that they're being kept in good condition and are being given food while we work to secure their release," El-Guindy said. “We are working with the authorities in the governorate and with the Yemeni government, and we hope to see them released very soon."
