Five Bangladeshis, held by Houthis in Yemen since February, to return home soon

Five Bangladeshi seamen, who had been held hostage by Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital Sana’a since February this year, will soon return home through India.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam gave the information on Wednesday, reports UNB.

He identified the five sailors as Tayub, Yousuf, Alamgir, Alauddin and Rahim without giving their addresses.

“They are expected to arrive in Aden, a port city of Yemen, on Thursday after a two-month-long effort by the Bangladesh missions in Oman and Kuwait and Indian mission in Djibouti, the state minister said.

“From there, they are expected to arrive in Bangladesh through India with the support of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM),” he added.

A total of 20 sailors, including five Bangladeshi, were detained by Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital Sana’a in February. The Bangladeshi seamen were working in a shipping company in Oman.

Shahriar said the seamen 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 civil war is raging in Yemen. The detainees were put in four rooms in a five-storey hotel.