Yemeni tribe frees Japanese man

Takeo Mashimo, right, thanked Yemeni officials for securing his release

A Japanese engineer kidnapped by armed Yemeni tribesmen has been freed, local government officials have said.

Takeo Mashimo, 63, was kidnapped from the town of Arhab, about 60km (37 miles) north-east of Sanaa on 15 November by tribesmen.

The governor of Sanaa confirmed to journalists that he was released late on Monday.

His release was prematurely announced a day after he was kidnapped, but the tribe holding him changed their minds.

His abductors wanted a member of their clan released from custody in a Yemeni jail.

The hostage has been freed and is now with tribal chiefs who negotiated his release Sanaa Governor Numan Duid

Negotiators told journalists that Mr Mashimo had been released and was on his way to the capital, but there was a dispute over the terms of the 22-year-old Yemeni man's release, and the tribesmen dropped their offer at the last minute.

On Monday the governor of Sanaa province announced Mr Mashimo had been handed over to negotiators.

"The hostage has been freed and is now with tribal chiefs who negotiated his release," Sanaa Governor Numan Duid told reporters.

Growing instability

The kidnapping of foreigners is common in Yemen, where captors often seek a ransom or concessions from government.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the region and is facing growing instability.

In the north of the country, the government is fighting Houthi rebels, a conflict that has grown in intensity since August and has drawn in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

It is also facing a secessionist movement in the south and an increased presence of al-Qaeda.