Moscow, April 7 (IANS): Moscow is considering the possibility of carrying out another round of evacuation from Yemen, the Russian foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
"We continue to attentively follow the dramatic developments in the Yemen Republic and, guided by the principle of parity importance of protecting the interests of our citizens living abroad, we are considering the options of additional evacuation from Yemen," TASS news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying.
"At the same time, we want to draw attention to the Russian initiative currently under consideration in the UN Security Council on introducing regular humanitarian pauses on the territory of Yemen to allow unhindered evacuation of foreign nationals from this country engulfed by war, as well as to deliver necessary aid to civilians in Yemen," the ministry added.
On April 6, a Russian plane evacuated 159 people from Yemen’s capital Sanaa, including 47 Russians and 89 citizens Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Over the last few days, Russian planes evacuated around 600 people from Yemen, mostly women and children.
On March 31, the UN evacuated its personnel from Yemen citing security concerns.
Russia started evacuating its nationals from the country as well. Several countries, including Germany, the US, Turkey and Japan, suspended operations at their respective embassies in Yemen.
Since September 2014, Yemen has been hit by a severe political and security crisis. In late January, the armed groups of Ansar Allah (Houthi rebels) forced the president and the government to announce their resignations.
The rebels later took control of the country’s capital Sana'a and several northern provinces. They also announced the adoption of the so-called constitutional declaration.
Overnight to March 26, a Saudi Arabia-led Artab coalition launched a military operation in the neighbouring country and delivered airstrikes at several Houthi positions. Yemeni President Abd Rabbah Mansur Hadi fled the country to Saudi Arabia.
Houthi rebels are currently fighting pro-government forces over control of Yemen’s second largest city of Aden. The coalition is currently considering launching a ground operation in Yemen to oust Houthis.
On Sunday, the UN reported that 549 have been killed in Yemen since March 19, including 217 civilians.