U.S. EMBASSY IN YEMEN CLOSED DOWN COMPLETELY
Sanaa, 21 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/11 February 2015 (MINA) – The United States is closing its embassy in Yemen, the Arabian penninsula state where a rebel group has seized control of the capital, embassy employees and a U.S. official in Washington said on Tuesday.
Employees of the embassy in Sanaa said the U.S. mission had been getting rid of documents and weapons and staff had been leaving the capital over the past days with a view of closing down completely by Wednesday.
The ambassador had informed them that Washington may ask the Turkish or Algerian embassies in Sanaa to look after U.S. interests in the country while the embassy was closed, Al Arabiya quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.
“The ambassador and the rest of the staff will leave by Wednesday evening,” one employee, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
Employees at the British, French and German embassies said their missions had also been getting rid of documents and have given local staff two months’ paid leave. But there was no immediate word on the missions closing down.
The U.S. embassy had reduced its staff after Shi’ite Muslim rebels from the Houthi movement moved against President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi last month, capturing his presidential office and confining him to his private residence.
Hadi and his government subsequently resigned.
On Sunday, the U.S. embassy said on its website it had “suspended all consular services until further notice”, citing the security situation in Sanaa.
Confirmed
A U.S. official in Washington on Tuesday confirmed the American Embassy in Yemen is closing, according to Reuters news agency.
The embassies of Turkey and Algeria will reportedly be asked to look after US interests in the country during the embassy closure.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity later confirmed that the embassy would be closed. The official said the ambassador would leave on Wednesday, though he did not provide a date for the closure of the mission.
On Sunday, the embassy suspended all consular services due to the security situation in the country.
The news follows weeks of announcements that services would be suspended or drawn down after the resignation of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government.
The Houthis first seized control of Sanaa in September following a decade-long insurgency. On January 20, Houthi rebels took control of the presidential palace in the capital, with deposed President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi inside.
In late January, the president and prime minister resigned under pressure from Houthi rebels, who now claim to have control of the country. The country has become increasingly unstable, with the State Department warning Americans last week not to travel to Yemen.
On Friday, they announced they had officially taken control of the Yemini government, dissolved parliament, and declared its Revolutionary Committee to be at the helm of the country.
UN-brokered peace talks between rival factions in the country hit a snag just days after the coup.
On Monday, Islah, a large opposition party, and the smaller Nasserist Unionist People’s Organization, walked out on the talks, sparking fears that the country could descend into all-out civil war.
The U.S. Embassy in Yemen is the third in an Arab country that has closed since the turmoil of the Arab spring began in December 2010. The other two were embassies in Damascus, Syria and Tripoli, Libya.(T/R05/P3)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
