Since the Shiite Houthi rebels overtook Yemen’s capital in September of last year, and declared control of the country in January, the country has been in an all-out crisis. On Tuesday, February 10th, diplomats began to evacuate Yemen, according to Fox News. The embassy is said to be suspended until conditions improve.The Houthis are a Shiite rebel force that has been fighting in opposition to Yemeni President Hadi’s government. They have seized control of the nation, and the White House has ordered the U.S. ambassador to leave the country, with marine security to follow soon after, according to ijreview.com.Sala McCarthy-Stonex, a freshman and political science major, first heard the news on the world PRI. When asked what her reactions were to the news of the chaos in the war-torn country, she responded that she was “mostly just thinking about the ambassador’s reaction and how chaotic it was, and how surprised they are it didn’t turn into a massive tragedy with everyone trying to leave.” Fox News consultant and former U.S. ambassador Bolton stated the planning of the evacuation was haphazard, and “we should be thankful tragedy didn’t strike.”As reported by CNN, terrorists have made general threats against the U.S. Embassy and personnel in Yemen. "There are threats against everybody," a senior State Department official said. "The U.S. Embassy, the ambassador, all of our employees.” Mohammed al-Sabri, a senior Yemeni political figure who leads a multi-party alliance of opposition parties, said the Houthis would be unable to govern the country and would only fuel its international isolation, according to the Huffington Post. "They are a militia, not a political group," he went on to say. The country has been split by opposing rallies, with supporters of the Shiite rebels marching in the capital of Sanaa on Feb 27, and Yemenis against the rebels gathering in cities such as Taiz, Hodida and Dhamar, reported AP. “I think it is true for both. It is a militia, but they have enough support to be a political group.” Sala stated after hearing the political figure’s opinion. President Hadi recently escaped house arrest, according to AP, but the rebels show no signs of wavering. Airplane shipments of medical supplies have come from Iran, and 14 weekly direct flights have been scheduled between Yemen and Iran. Uploaded March 2, 2015
Writer: Max Betts
