Out of Yemen: UN, U.S. pulling out non-essential staff
CAIRO — The United Nations has
reduced its presence in Yemen due to the increased profile of Al Qaida.
Officials said the UN closed several offices in Yemen in April in wake
of attacks on a Western compound in Sanaa. They said the UN also placed
walls of concrete around its headquarters in Sanaa to prevent rocket
strikes.
"UN staffers have been leaving Yemen amid an increasing threat to their
safety," a UN official said.
On March 20, Al Qaida fired three mortars toward the U.S. embassy in
Sanaa, Middle East Newsline reported. The mortars missed the embassy and struck a girls high school. Two
people were killed.
In wake of the Al Qaida strike, officials said, the UN conducted a
review of
its presence in Yemen and withdrew many non-essential staffers. They said UN
offices were closed in Yemen after rockets slammed into a Western compound
in early April.
Yemeni troops have been deployed around the headquarters of the UN High
Commission for Refugees in Sanaa. Three-meter blast walls as well as
sandbags were placed around the compound.
The U.S. embassy has also withdrawn non-essential staffers. The British
embassy was said to have reduced its presence in Yemen as well.
