The French Hostage Alain Goma: whenever they attack me, I find myself stronger
English - Saturday 01 December 2018 الساعة 06:03 pm
Aden – Newsyemen
The French sailor, Mr. Alain Goma, 54, was on a sailing trip when his boat got damage, forcing him to dock in a Yemeni port of al-Hodaidah on June 02, as he was held by the Houthi militias for more than four months.
His real destination was to Calcutta, India. The sailor Mr. Alain Goma, lost his boat as well, tells the French newspaper Le Figaro after two months of his release from Houthis' jail in Yemen. The story causes him repeated psychological pressures on his condition.
Goma says that his boat had stopped at the port of al-Hodaidah coincided with Houthi attack on the city, where more than two-thirds of Yemen's humanitarian aid is being shipped.
Suddenly, the sailor finds his life turned upside down. "On the first night they interrogated me on my boat, and as a gesture of good faith I gave them my phone and my laptop," he said. However, I remained on the boat for a week., including a Houthi gunman observing me".
Mr. Goma continues that " I thought they would let me go, Unfortunately, as I repeat, on June 9," they went on a tour of the country, Yemen. It was about in Ramadan, and I could hear the voices of people outside.
" Around 8 a.m, gunmen grabbed my hands and put a band in my eyes, before I found myself on the third underground floor of a prison in Sana'a. Hence, I realized that I was put in the worst case.
"Overnight, the 54-year-old sailor who has no idea of the complexities of the Middle East becomes a victim of war."
"I fill out questionnaires, some of their questions were logical, others were insulting ... sometimes they beat me, but I told them I am a peaceful man," " They interrogated much more. They sometimes pointed at me a threat of slaughter. I have nothing to do with this war."
""The nights were harsh. They were making a lot of noise and they were raising the sound of a radio," he said. "I was afraid in my heart that I could not resist."
On July 14, Goma says that he would escape, descended from the stairs but found himself that there is no way out. He was hit and beaten by a large number of people, he was shackled for a week, but he knew his jailers wanted him alive.
Goma was then placed alone in a small room of two meters in three meters with a window that allowed only light to pass. He noted that he did not have anything to write in it, but rather a pencil he used to write on the walls.
He felt that he has much time, although his jailers sometimes allowed him to go out to a small yard inside the prison, smelling of dry urine and chicken decomposed remains, he said.
"I am here to reassure you. Yemen has no problem with you, but it is an administrative matter,” said the French ambassador to Yemen Christian Tetsou who visited me at my jail in the Capital Sana'a.
Goma explains that he realized his jailers wanted to exchange him but he did not know what to do. He said that one day before his release, in mid-October, he was allowed to go up to the top floor of the prison so as to go to the Sana'a International Airport as a French helicopter awaited.
He adds that one of the guards called him at the time of his departure saying, "I will buy your boat for $ 5,000 " pointing out that he replied to him as saying "the value of it cost $20,000."
The French hostage concluded, they have mocked at me to the end." He was facing their psychological aggression by strengthening his inner strength through yoga, and "whenever they attack me, I find myself stronger."
