Houthi militants shut Yemen's central bank

SANAA

Shiite Houthi militants on Wednesday closed the headquarters of the Central Bank of Yemen in capital Sanaa and prevented employees from entering or leaving the building, a bank source said.

"Houthi militants stormed the Central Bank building, closed all its gates and denied entry or exit to its employees," the source told The Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.

The militants also prevented funds from being taken out of the premises, he added, without giving any reason for the move.

The Shiite group has yet to comment on the reported incident, the second of its kind on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, dozens of Houthi militants overran the headquarters of a state-run Safer Oil Company in capital Sanaa and prevented employees from entering or leaving the premises.

In recent months, the Houthis, who took control of the capital in late September, have emerged as a major power, changing the fractious country's political map.

The Shiite group's political ambitions have pitted it against Al-Qaeda, which remains influential in central and southern Yemen, and local Sunni tribes.

Yemen continues to see daily political violence, which has left hundreds of civilians, tribesmen, army troops and Houthi militants dead.

The Arab country has been hard-hit by political turmoil since a popular uprising that erupted in 2011 toppled longstanding president Ali Abdullah Saleh one year later.

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