MOSCOW: Russia has halted its diplomatic presence in Yemen and its embassy staff has left the country amid the deepening conflict between the government and Houthi rebels, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

“Considering the situation in Sanaa, a decision has been taken to temporarily suspend Russia’s diplomatic presence in Yemen. All employees of the Russian embassy have left the country,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

“The Russian ambassador and some of the Russian diplomatic corps accredited in Yemen will carry out their duties in Riyadh,” she added.

Russian ambassador Vladimir Dedushkin had already been working from Riyadh since last year and Moscow warned last week that Yemen risks spiralling into “military-political chaos”. More than 8,750 people have been killed since Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the government’s fight against the Houthis in 2015, triggering what the UN has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2017