Yahya Arhab/European Pressphoto Agency
Demonstrators stormed the U.S. Embassy in Yemen Thursday, to protest against a film insulting the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.
イエメン政府当局者やサヌア駐在の西側関係者によれば、米国大使館のスタッフはこれより先、装甲車、米海兵隊、イエメン治安部隊によって警備された市内の別の建物に移動していた。このため大使館には、乱入したデモ隊とこれを阻止しようとするイエメン治安部隊のほか誰もいなかった。米政府当局者は大使館からの退去の事実を確認していない。今回の騒ぎのきっかけとなった11日のリビアのベンガジ米領事館攻撃では、米国大使と3人の米外交官が殺害された。
Japan said Monday it had temporarily shut its embassy in Yemen, adding to the latest exodus of foreign diplomats over security fears after a Shia militia takeover.
Operations at the mission in Sanaa were suspended as of Sunday due to the "worsening security situation" in the country, the foreign ministry said.
Its staff have evacuated to the Japanese embassy in Qatar, from where they will be fulfilling some duties.
Tokyo has urged its citizens to leave the strife-racked country as the security situation deteriorates.
Houthi militiamen dissolved Yemen's government and parliament on February 6 after seizing the presidential palace and key government buildings.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned that Yemen is falling apart, and called for the reinstatement of Western-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
Sunni-dominated regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia last week announced it had evacuated all its staff from the embassy in Sanaa.
The move was also followed by the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Britain, the Netherlands, The United Arab Emirates and Spain.