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France, the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy and Saudi Arabia have closed their missions in the capital Sanaa and withdrawn staff, citing security concerns.
Yemen clashes kill 26 as embassy closures continue http://cna.asia/1CqMN60
SANAA: Clashes between Shi’ite Houthi militiamen and Sunni tribesmen fighting alongside Al Qaeda militants killed 26 people in Yemen, local officials said, as the United Arab Emirates joined Saudi Arabia and Western countries in closing its embassy in the country.
Heavy fighting was ongoing in the southern mountainous province of al-Bayda, leading to the death of 16 Houthi rebels along with 10 Sunni tribesmen and militants, security officials and tribal sources told Reuters.
The state faces collapse in Yemen two weeks after the Houthi group took formal control of the country and continued an armed push southward.
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Yemen ‘collapsing before our eyes’: Ban tells UN Security Council http://str.sg/o4J
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – Yemen is “collapsing before our eyes,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council on Thursday as he appealed for action to stop the country’s slide toward anarchy.
“We cannot stand by and watch,” Ban told the 15-member council.
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The United States, Britain and France have rushed to close their embassies over security fears, with US staff destroying top-secret documents and sensitive equipment before pulling out Wednesday.
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Yemen militia denounces embassy closures as Al-Qaeda seizes base, heavy weaponry http://str.sg/oZV
A police trooper walks past armoured US embassy cars, seized by Houthi rebels, at Sanaa airport Feb 12, 2015. — PHOTO: REUTERSSANAA (AFP) – The Shi’ite militia that controls Yemen’s capital said Thursday a decision by Western powers to close their embassies was “unjustified,” as Al-Qaeda fighters overran an army camp and seized heavy weaponry.
Long on the front line of the war against Al-Qaeda, Yemen has descended into chaos since the militia, known as Huthis, seized Sanaa in September and ousted the government last week.
The United States, Britain and France have rushed to close their embassies over security fears, with US staff destroying top-secret documents and sensitive equipment before pulling out Wednesday.
But Hussein al-Ezzi, described as the militia’s foreign relations chief, said the closures were designed to “pressure” the Yemeni people.
“The decisions of some Western countries to close their embassies in Sanaa are absolutely unjustified,” he was quoted as saying by the official Saba news agency, now under militia control.
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But earlier this week, militia chief Abdulmalik al-Huthi had sought to reassure foreign powers, saying their fears were “unfounded” and insisting that the “security situation is stable” in Sanaa.
Even so, hours after the US staff headed for the airport and flew to Oman, a special forces unit loyal to the elected president, now under virtual house arrest, clashed with dozens of Huthi fighters who tried to advance on the embassy premises.
The Huthis have been tightening their grip on Sanaa and expanding their control of territory to the south.
Last week, they dissolved parliament and declared a “presidential council” after Western-backed leader Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi resigned over what he said was an ungovernable situation.
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Britain withdraws embassy staff from Yemen due to fears over security situation http://cna.asia/17enSs4
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MORE TO COME…
US embassy in Yemen closes and evacuates all staff http://cir.ca/news/us-embassy-in-yemen-incidents …
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Business Insider The US embassy in Yemen just shut down over security concerns http://read.bi/1E6vnes
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is closing its embassy in Yemen amid political deadlock and deteriorating security conditions after the takeover of the country by Shiite rebels, two U.S. officials said.
The officials said that diplomats were being evacuated from the country on Tuesday and that the embassy in Sanaa would suspend operations until conditions improve. Yemen has been in crisis for months with Iran-linked Shiite Houthi rebels besieging the capital and then taking control.
The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the closure publicly on the record
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