The American and British embassies in Yemen have shut down operations amid growing tensions and concerns over the safety of staff, with France planning to follow suit and shut down its embassy on Friday.
The State Department on Wednesday issued a travel warning for American citizens, urging those in Yemen to leave and those planning to go not to travel. There are no government-sponsored plans to evacuate U.S. citizens and anyone wishing to leave must do so as soon as possible, the State Department said, adding that there are ongoing risks of kidnapping for Americans and Westerners.
Yemen President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi was forced to resign in late January, along with the country’s prime minister and cabinet, after being ousted by Houthi Shiite militiamen, who effectively put him under house arrest. Last week, the Houthis took over power from the Yemeni government.
The Houthis, who have controlled the capital, Sanaa since last year, oppose the influence of Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula, who control much of the country’s south and claimed responsibility for the shooting attacks in Paris last month that left 20 dead, including the gunmen.
Before leaving the U.S. embassy on Wednesday morning, staff members destroyed weapons, computers and documents, Reuters reports. Since January, the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa has been operating with minimal staff, CNN reports.
U.S. Embassy employees also told Reuters that members of the militia took Embassy vehicles after diplomats left the country. The Houthis said they were taking the vehicles and weapons inside them for “safekeeping until embassy officials returned,” The New York Timesreports.
The deteriorating security situation in Yemen also led the U.K. to suspend operations at its embassy. The ambassador and other diplomats left the embassy on Wednesday morning and British nationals are being urged to leave, the embassy said.
“Regrettably we now judge that our embassy staff and premises are at increased risk. We have therefore decided to withdraw diplomatic staff and temporarily suspend the operations of the British Embassy in Sanna’a,” the British Embassy said in a statement.
The French Embassy in Yemen will close on Friday and a statement posted on its website urged French nationals to leave the country “as soon as possible.”
On Wednesday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the U.S. “will not hesitate to act in Yemen” to protect American citizens.
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