US to have fewer personnel in Yemen

The US has ordered a reduction of its government personnel in Yemen and warned its citizens against travel to the Arab country.

"The department of state ordered a temporary reduction in the number of government personnel in Yemen," spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said Thursday.

"We are taking this step out of an abundance of caution and in response to recent political developments and the changing, unpredictable security situation in Yemen," Xinhua quoted Psaki as saying.

The department also advised US citizens against travel to Yemen and urged those already in the country to leave due to "terrorist activities and civil unrest".

Psaki said the US embassy in Sanaa will continue to operate, but she urged Americans remaining in the country to limit "non-essential" travel within the country.

The Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels Sunday night signed a ceasefire deal, ending a week of bloody clashes in Sanaa that killed more than 400 people.

The Houthi group, however, refused to sign a security annex that requires them to hand over towns and cities seized in the past weeks, withdraw fighters from all areas in Sanaa and put an immediate end to protests.

Their fighters have tightened their control on most parts of Sanaa and are guarding most of the government institutions.

The Houthis are a Shia insurgent group based in Yemen. They have been active since 1994.