5 Bangladeshis held by Houthi rebels to return home soon

Five Bangladeshi sailors, who were being held by Houthi rebels in Yemen capital Sana'a since February this year, will return home through India soon.

They are expected to arrive in Aden on Thursday following two months' efforts by the Bangladeshi missions in Oman and Kuwait and the Indian mission in Djibouti, said State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam today.

From there, the sailors are expected to come to Bangladesh through India with assistance from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the state minister said.

The Bangladeshis were working for a shipping company of Oman. Indian citizens were also among the detainees.

Read more

At least 1 Bangladeshi among seamen held captive by Houthi rebels in Yemen

Shahriar Alam said the sailors at one stage were allowed to use mobile phones and one of the Bangladeshi detainees first communicated with him two months ago.

The state minister shared the updates in a Facebook post from his verified page.

Sana'a is under the control of Houthis as a civil war is raging in Yemen. The detainees have been kept in four rooms in a hotel.