(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The UAE and Spain said on Saturday they had suspended operations at their embassies in Yemen following a Houthi militia takeover that has prompted an exodus of foreign diplomats.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday said that it has suspended operations at its embassy in Sanaa and evacuated all diplomatic staff.
The ministry said that it took this decision due to the increasing deterioration of the political and security situation Yemen is witnessing and the tragic events after the Houthis undermined the legitimate authority and the political transition based on the GCC Initiative and results of the UN Security Council-backed national dialogue.
The move came a day after Saudi Arabia announced it had also evacuated all its staff from the embassy in Sanaa.
The foreign ministers of the members of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) have held an extraordinary meeting at Riyadh Air Base Airport in the Saudi capital to discuss the situation and developments in Yemen.
Dr Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, represented the UAE at the meeting which was chaired by Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, and attended by Abdul Lateef bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary-General of the GCC.
Spain said it was suspending embassy activity in Yemen "in light of the current situation of insecurity and instability in Sanaa".
"Spain trusts that the causes of this decision will be resolved shortly and that the embassy can soon resume its duties normally," the foreign ministry said.
"The government reiterates its support for a process of democratic transition in Yemen that leads to the forming of an inclusive government that can meet the desires for freedom, democracy and prosperity of the Yemeni people."
It said that the embassy had contacted all members of the "small Spanish community in Yemen" and advised them to "temporarily" leave the country.
Meanwhile, clashes between Houthi militiamen and tribesmen fighting alongside Al Qaeda militants killed 26 people in Yemen, local officials said.
Heavy fighting was ongoing in the southern mountainous province of Al Bayda, leading to the death of 16 Houthi rebels along with 10 tribesmen and militants, security officials and tribal sources said.
Gunmen from the Houthi militia fired live rounds on Saturday to disperse thousands of protesters in Ibb, wounding at least six people, witnesses said.
In the capital Sanaa, meanwhile, the family of a demonstrator detained by the Houthis on Wednesday at a protest said he had died from torture wounds suffered in captivity.
A similar demonstration took place in the capital, although it was reportedly free of any violence.
But the families of three protesters detained by the Houthis in Sanaa this week said on Saturday that one had died of torture wounds and that the other two had been hospitalised.
"Saleh Awadh Al Bashiri died at midnight, hours after he was released by the Houthi militia with two of his companions who were kidnapped by the group during Wednesday's protest," one of his relatives said, requesting anonymity.
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