After Oman's intervention, seven Indians under Houthi detention released

With Omani intervention, seven Indian nationals who were detained by Yemen's Houthi rebels have been released.

The Indian nationals were detained on the ship Rwabee and had been under detention since January 2nd.

Along with seven Indian nationals, one national each from the UK, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Ethiopia were taken from Yemen's capital Sana'a to the Omani capital of Muscat on a Royal Oman Airforce flight.

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An Omani government release said, "Following the instructions of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to work to meet the requests of the governments of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of India, and the Republic of the Philippines to assist in the release of a number of their nationals detained in Yemen, the Sultanate of Oman has coordinated with the concerned authorities in Sana’a, which thankfully responded to these endeavours." It is important to know that the Oman side maintains contact with the Houthis and that the group also has an office in Muscat.

The government of Oman had been in contact with them for some time to secure the release of the sailors, and India, along with other countries, had requested their release. In a statement, the ministry of external affairs thanked the Omani government.

It said, "The government of India would like to thank all concerned parties for the release of the Indian sailors, in particular the government of Oman."

The Indian nationals who have been released are Sandeep Singh, Muhammad Munwar Samir, Dr Jashim Khan, Akhil Rego, Fresh Vassamsetti, Srijith Sajivan, and Dibash Mota Paramil.

The matter also came up at the United Nations Security Council in January.

The MEA statement highlighted that "the government of India has been exerting all efforts for the release of the Indian crew members over the past months." The government of India has been in touch with various parties to ensure the safety and well-being of our sailors during this time. "

Houthis are Yemeni rebels backed by Iran who are fighting against Saudi Arabia and the UAE for what they see as intervention in their country.

The Rwabee was a UAE-flagged vessel that the Houthis had taken into custody. Yemen has been in a state of civil war since 2011, when, amid the Arab Spring, the then President Ali Abdullah Saleh was ousted.

Since 2015, a 9-country coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been intervening in the country unsuccessfully. Houthis have also, in the past, attacked oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. Recently, the country saw its first ceasefire in years, which was welcomed by India.