French hostage Isabelle Prime freed in Yemen

2015-08-07
14:05:27

French hostage Isabelle Prime freed in Yemen

PARIS: Frenchwoman Isabelle Prime, who was kidnapped in war-ravaged Yemen on February 24, has been freed and will return home "in the coming hours", the French presidency said late Thursday.

"Our compatriot Isabelle Prime has been freed tonight," the statement read.

She is currently under French protection, the statement said, without giving further detail on when or where she would arrive back in the country.

here is no confirmation yet on the identity of her kidnappers.

The 30-year-old, who worked as a consultant on a World Bank-funded project, was seized with her translator Sherine Makkaoui as they were driving to work in the capital Sanaa. Makkaoui, who is Yemeni, was freed in March.

France has made "every effort to achieve this happy outcome", the statement said, adding that the presidency "expresses its gratitude to all those who worked on this solution, including Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, sultan of Oman".