We were in depression while in captivity but had faith in the government, one of the seven Indian sailors released from the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital of Sanaa has told News18.
The Indian sailors and at least seven other people from different countries were held captive by Yemen’s Houthi rebels after they seized a UAE-flagged merchant vessel RWABEE on January 2 this year. The rebels that held them captive had claimed that the vessel was carrying military supplies.
The release of the Indian sailors and other captives was announced on Tuesday by Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi on Twitter, following which India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked his country for help and assistance. An Indian delegation had also raised the issue at the UN Security Council.
https://t.co/OfcKv5BRLs pic.twitter.com/xBlC2tWq0w— Badr Albusaidi – بدر البوسعيدي (@badralbusaidi) April 24, 2022
The group was taken to Oman’s capital Muscat on April 24 and the Indian sailors were flown to New Delhi on Tuesday on board a special flight. One of the sailors belongs to Lucknow, while another hails from Mumbai. Three are from Kerala and the two others are from Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.
“We were in depression when we were held in captivity, but had faith in our government at the same time,” one of the sailors told News18.
“Once the rebels got to know that we hail from India, we were given better treatment. We were given milk, biscuits and everything required,” he added.
Another sailor, Mohammad Munnawar, said the reason their return took so long was that negotiations were ongoing in the background.
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