Yemen Tribesmen Free German Hostage

The official told Reuters his release along with two Yemenis working for a gas company was secured through negotiations with tribal leaders.

The official told Reuters his release along with two Yemenis working for a gas company was secured through negotiations with tribal leaders. He gave no further details.

German embassy officials could not be reached immediately for comment.

The three men who work for Yemen LNG Ltd had been abducted on Saturday in the Shebwa region in the south of the Arabian Peninsula country.

Disgruntled tribesmen have often kidnapped Western tourists to demand better living conditions, schools and services in Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries outside Africa.

Earlier this month tribesmen kidnapped a South African woman and her two sons, demanding that authorities release a group of prisoners. They released them a few days after.

Last month, armed tribesmen kidnapped three Germans to press for an end to a land dispute with another tribe, and for the release of jailed fellow tribesmen. The foreigners were freed unharmed almost a week later.

Most foreigners abducted in Yemen have been released unharmed, but in 2000 a Norwegian diplomat was killed in crossfire and in 1998 four Westerners were killed during a botched army attempt to free them from Islamist militants who had seized 16 tourists.