US urges Yemen's Houthis to free local embassy staffers, leave compound

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US urged Yemen's Houthi rebels to release an unspecified number of its locally-hired embassy staffers Thursday and leave the building that formerly housed its diplomatic mission in the capital Sana’a.

A State Department spokesman told Anadolu Agency in an email exchange that "the majority" of those detained have been released but did not specify how many remain in detention. He emphasized that the US has been "unceasing in its diplomatic efforts" to ensure all are freed.

"We are concerned that Yemeni staff of the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a continue to be detained without explanation and we call for their immediate release," the spokesman said.

The compound that housed the US embassy prior to the Houthis’ seizure of Yemen's capital has also been breached, he said, urging the Houthis to "vacate" the premises and "return all seized property."

"The U.S. government will continue its diplomatic efforts to secure the release of our staff and the vacating of our compound, including through our international partners," he added.

The compound had served as the US embassy in Yemen until February 2015, when the US relocated its diplomatic presence to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia amid the country's ongoing civil war.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when the Houthis captured much of the country, including Sana’a.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the internationally-recognized Yemeni government has worsened the situation and caused one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with 233,000 people killed and about 30 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection. Roughly 13 million people are in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday that the US was "extremely concerned by reports of detentions of some of our local Yemeni employees in Sana’a" and urged their immediate release.