Bangladeshi UN official in Al Qaeda captivity in Yemen for 7 months

"Currently I am held captive by Al Qaeda. It has been six months since I'm held captive in a place I do not know. My family does not know where I am. If I die, my family will not be able to know," AKM Sufiul Anam, a United Nations official identified as a Bangladeshi, said in a video message which came after his abduction in war-torn Yemen.

His video message was released by Al Qaeda's Yemen chapter on Saturday, reports TRT World referring to the SITE Intelligence Group.  

In the video message, apparently recorded on 9 August, Sufiul Anam urged "the UN, the international community, the humanitarian organisations, to please come forward…and meet the demands of my captors", although he did not outline any demands.

The 65-year-old Bangladeshi man from Cumilla said he was facing serious health concerns, including heart problems, and needed immediate hospitalisation.

Anam, who SITE identified as the "director of the United Nations Office of Security and Safety in Yemen", said he and four colleagues were kidnapped on 11 February.

The TRT World reports that five UN staff members were kidnapped in Yemen's southern province of Abyan in February while returning to the port city of Aden "after having completed a field mission", UN spokesperson Eri Kaneko said at the time.

"The United Nations is in close contact with the authorities to secure their release," the spokesperson said after the workers' abduction in February.

Toufiq Islam Shatil, DG, United Nations Wing of Bangladesh foreign ministry, told The Business Standard, "We are working with the United Nations on this. However, as it is confidential, the details cannot be disclosed for security reasons."

How did the abduction happen?

"I was on an official trip for a security assessment. And when returning, I was held hostage along with four of my colleagues on 11 February 2022," said Anam in the video.  

"I have been here for six months – more than 180 days – held captive within four walls." 

With his voice breaking, he said, "I don't want to face the fate of Luke Somers who was killed. So, if I am not released as soon as possible, I will possibly end up in a grave. I want to see my children…I want to see my family.

"My colleagues here have young children. They have not been able to perform Eid this year. I have seen them crying. When we entered the room, I saw one of my colleagues burst into tears," he further said.

The family of Anam were informed of the abduction by the UN on 12 February, day after his abduction, a member of the family told TBS.

"The UN assured the family that Anam is safe and healthy, has access to medical services and a doctor is visiting him. Governor of the Abyan province [where the abduction took place] engaged the military and security chiefs and tribe leaders," he said.

"The UN stopped sharing details of negotiations on grounds of security and confidentiality. However, they felt optimistic and mentioned that the negotiations were progressing," he added.

Yemen has been gripped by conflict since the Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital Sanaa in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led military intervention in support of the beleaguered government the following year.

Hundreds of thousands have died, directly from fighting as well as indirectly, and millions have been displaced in what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.