SANAA

 An official ban on the use of motorcycles went into effect on Wednesday in Yemeni capital Sanaa.

"The decision was taken following a spate of assassinations in which the perpetrators used motorcycles," a member of an official security committee – which called for the ban – was quoted as saying by Yemen's official news agency.

He called on Sanaa residents to report any militants seen using motorcycles to the authorities.

The authorities imposed a similar ban in the capital last year.

That ban, however, was rarely enforced due to deteriorating security conditions in Sanaa.

Yemen's Shiite Houthi movement has controlled Sanaa since last September.

The group's growing power, however, has brought it into conflict with local Sunni tribes and Al-Qaeda, which is said to remain active in fractious Yemen.