Isabelle Prime Returns to France After Abduction in Yemen
A French woman who was abducted in Yemen in February along with her translator has been freed and was on her way home on Friday. Isabelle Prime, 31, had been working in Yemen for the World Bank for about a year when she was kidnapped.
She is now in the hands of French authorities and will return to her country Friday evening, according to a statement from French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who like the president thanked the government of Oman for its help.
Details of her release, including what group had been holding Prime, weren’t divulged Friday.
“The liberation of Isabelle Prime shows again that France never abandons its own,” Fabius said.
Prime was abducted in the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, along with her Yemeni translator, who was released shortly afterward.
Earlier this year, a video surfaced showing Prime pleading for help. In the video, she appeared frail and anguished, and she urged the leaders of France and Yemen to allow her to return to France.
Chaos is rampant in impoverished Yemen, with pro-government forces battling Shiite rebels.
Oman has been a successful mediator in past hostage negotiations, including that for the release of American freelance journalist Casey Coombs, who had been held by Shiite Houthi rebels.