French president says Frenchwoman working with World Bank abducted in Yemen

PARIS – A Frenchwoman working for a consultancy firm with ties to the World Bank was kidnapped Tuesday morning by gunmen in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.

The 30-year-old woman was kidnapped in front of a ministry building, President Francois Hollande told a news conference.

“We demand her liberation as quickly as possible,” Hollande said. “We are trying to locate her and we will do everything so that she can be freed.”

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Yemen is the base for an especially active al-Qaida affiliate.

The French president said the woman worked for the World Bank. However, a French TV station identified her employer as an American consulting company that works with the World Bank and aired an interview with its chief, Francisco Ayala.

He said the woman was headed to work with her chauffeur and a translator when two cars with five to six gunmen dressed as police officers blocked the road and abducted the three.

The translator was released and signalled the abduction, said Ayala. He said his company was in contact with local authorities.

“We hope the group that did this will show itself and make its demands known,” Ayala said.

The Yemen capital and much of the north are currently controlled by Houthi rebels, meaning there is no central government.

The French Foreign Ministry closed its embassy earlier this year along with numerous Western embassies as Yemen devolved into chaos. The absence of a diplomatic presence in Sanaa was likely to complicate the task of finding the woman and working to secure her release.

The French Foreign Ministry “renewed with insistence” a recommendation made two weeks ago for all French citizens to leave the country as quickly as possible.

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Elaine Ganley and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.