Al Jazeera journalists freed by Yemeni kidnappers

The broadcaster Al Jazeera said on Thursday that three of its staff had been freed more than 10 days after being kidnapped in the Yemeni city of Taiz.

Reporter Hamdi al-Bokari, cameraman Abdulaziz al-Sabri and driver Munir al-Subaie went missing on 18 January while covering the conflict between rebels and Gulf-backed forces loyal to President Abd Rabbush Mansour Hadi.

The pan-Arab news channel said on its website early on Thursday morning that the three had been freed after having been kidnapped by "unknown gunmen".

In a message posted on his Facebook page, Bokari said he had been held by Houthi rebels, under fire since March from a Saudi-led coalition of which Qatar is a member.

"We heard them repeat 'Death to America,' a slogan the Houthis and Iranian protesters commonly chant, he wrote, adding that he would release more details about the kidnapping in the coming days.

The city of Taiz is held by loyalists of Yemen's internationally recognised government, but it has been besieged by the Houthis for months.

The Houthis overran Sanaa more than a year ago, forcing Hadi's government to flee the Yemeni capital.

Hadi loyalists backed by a Saudi-led coalition have fought back and have been trying to retake Taiz province and pave the way towards the rebel-held capital.

The abduction of the Al Jazeera team created fear among journalists in Taiz, as it was the first abduction of journalists in an area controlled by resistance fighters in the city, and some journalists have been considering leaving the city.

A resistance leader in Taiz told Middle East Eye earlier this week that the Al Jazeera crew were being held by a sleeper cell loyal to the country's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied with the Houthis.

"Al Jazeera crew members were kidnapped by the sleeper cells of Saleh, which have spread in the areas of the Resistance in Taiz, but the Resistance is following the issue now and we will not let the abductors flee," said Moaath al-Yaseri, a leader of the Popular Resistance in Taiz.

On Saturday, crowds of residents in Taiz had protested in solidarity with the Al Jazeera team, holding photos of the abductees and calling for their immediate release.