"She was seized from her vehicle near a small village in Lahej," a Western diplomat said, declining to give further details. An official in Lahej said the three had been taken by gunmen demanding the release of prisoners held by Yemeni authorities in the nearby southern port of Aden. The woman had been travelling with a Yemeni staff member and a volunteer to distribute aid in a camp housing people displaced by fighting between rebels and government troops in Abyan, another southern province. The ICRC confirmed the kidnapping and said it was trying to secure their release. Kidnappings of foreigners in Yemen are common, often linked to disputes between tribes and central government authorities, whose hold over parts of the south is tenuous. Three French aid workers held hostage by Yemeni tribesmen for over five months were freed earlier this month after mediation by neighbouring Oman, which tribesmen said paid a ransom on behalf of the French government.