India said on Feb 3 the seven Indian sailors taken captive by Yemen’s Houthi rebels when they seized the 'Rwabee' on Jan 2 were safe, though the captors still have not provided access to the hostages. 11 crew members, including the Indian, are being held by the Houthis after they seized the vessel in the Red Sea. The rebels claimed the vessel was carrying “military supplies” and had entered Yemeni waters off the coast of Hudaydah “without authorisation”. Both India and the United Arab Emirates have demanded the release of the crew.
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RWABEE
The 11 crew members of the 'Rwabee', seized by Iran-backed Huthi rebels, were so far fine, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Jan 13, while negotiations were ongoing for their release. Seven of the ship Rwabee's crew are Indian and the others come from Ethiopia, Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines. The rebels claimed they seized the 'Rwabee' in Yemeni waters with military equipment on board. In a statement to the United Nations, the UAE government denounced the hijacking, calling it an "act of piracy."
TONSBERG
The Polish Foreign Ministry reported that the crew members of the 'Tonsberg', who were captured by the pirates on Dec 13, 2021, in the Gulf of Guinea, have been released on Jan 17, 2022. One Polish sailor who was among the hostages has already returned home.
RWABEE
The 11 crew members of the 'Rwabee' continued to be in captivity since one week on Jan 9. The Houthi rebels have allowed the crew to speak with their families and stated the rebels were asking for authentication to prove that they are genuine seafarers. They told their relatives that there was heavy firing when the rebels captured the ship. All of them were being treated well. They have been taken from the ship to a hotel and will have to be there for seven days under quarantine after which tickets will be issued to them to return from their recruiting agency.
RWABEE
The Houthis on Jan 15 rejected a call from the UN Security Council demanding the "immediate release" of the 'Rwabee'. At a meeting on Jan 12, the United Arab Emirates had urged members of the UN Security Council to adopt "a firm position" against the Houthi rebels. The seizure of the ship was an “act of piracy” denounced the permanent representative of the Emirates to the United Nations. The vessel, with 11 crew members on board, carried equipment for the construction of a hospital, Saudi Arabia said. For a rebel government official in Yemen, the "ship did not contain dates and games for children but weapons intended for extremist groups." When seized, the vessel was coming from Socotra, a strategic territory controlled by separatists from the south, close to the United Arab Emirates.