Tag Archives: layoffs

USAID Prepares to Shrink #WestBank/Gaza Presence, Pompeo Visits @USAID HQ

December 3, 2018 By in Foreign Assistance, Foreign Policy, Hotspots, Locally Employed Staff, Realities of the FS, Staffing the FS, State Department, Trump, U.S. Missions, US Presidents, USAID Tags: , , , , , , , ,

 

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@StateDept Lays Off 360 Local Staff at U.S. Embassy Yemen

February 20, 2018 By in Ambassadors, Functional Bureaus, Locally Employed Staff, Realities of the FS, State Department, U.S. Missions Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted: 1:22 am ET

 

The State Department suspended its embassy operations at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen and American staff were relocated out of the country  in February 2015. Embassy Sanaa had previously announced the suspension of all consular services until further notice on February 8, 2015.

A January 10 Travel Advisory is a Level 4 Do Not Travel citing terrorism, civil unrest, health, and armed conflict. “Terrorist groups continue to plot and conduct attacks in Yemen. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities.” The Advisory notes that the U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Yemen.

On February 11, Reuters reported that the U.S. Government has laid off 360 local staff in Yemen. Ambassador Matthew Tueller has reportedly written to to the LE staff saying that “new US State Department regulations about suspended embassies meant he could no longer keep them on.”  A State Department official confirmed the lay-offs to Reuters, saying: “We are extremely grateful for the service of each and every one of these individuals and hope to work with them at some point in the future when we can safely resume operations in Yemen.”

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