Red Cross suspends work in Yemen's Aden after raid

The International Committee of the Red Cross announced a temporary suspension of its activities in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Tuesday, after unidentified gunmen stormed the humanitarian organisation's offices in the city on Monday.

"Gunmen stormed our local office in Aden yesterday and threatened our staff at gunpoint," said Rima Kamal, a spokeswoman for the group in Yemen.

The masked men searched the premises, confiscated employees' phones and laptops, and then stole two vehicles from their office yard when leaving, according to local officials.

Kamal said that 14 ICRC staff members had been transferred from Aden to other areas in Yemen as a precaution, but did not specify their exact locations.

"We have temporarily suspended our work in the governorate of Aden due to our office being attacked by unknown gunmen who stole equipment and money, however our staff are unharmed and they are in good health," said Adnan Hazzam, a Red Cross spokesman in the capital, Sanaa.

Hazzam said that Monday's attack was the latest in at least 10 similar attacks on the ICRC's offices in Aden in the past two weeks.

The group's Aden spokeswoman, Rima Kamal, called on all parties on the ground in Yemen to respect the ICRC's impartial humanitarian work and to not hinder its relief activities.

Earlier last month, al-Qaeda militants raided the office of the humanitarian group CARE International in Aden.

The International Committee for the Red Cross carries out humanitarian relief work in Aden, which has witnessed fighting for the past few months between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh on the one hand and forces loyal to current President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi on the other.