They threatened to kidnap them. Newspaper: Houthi militia prevents private bank employees from leaving Sana'a.

The London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed revealed on Friday that the Houthi militia has prevented employees of private banks in Sanaa from traveling to areas controlled by the legitimate government, threatening to kidnap anyone who seeks to leave Sanaa.

The newspaper quoted informed sources as saying that the Houthis' move against bank employees was intended to prevent the relocation of bank headquarters from Sana'a to Aden and Taiz, both under the control of the legitimate government. This came after eight banks had decided to relocate their headquarters to Aden and Taiz.

Last Monday, the Central Bank of Yemen in Aden announced the names of eight banks that had decided to relocate their headquarters and operations from Sana'a, which is under Houthi militia control, to Aden, the city the internationally recognized government has adopted as the interim capital.

A statement issued by the bank said that these banks had informed the Central Bank of Yemen in writing of the relocation of their headquarters and operations from Sana'a to the interim capital, Aden, to avoid falling under the strict sanctions imposed by the United States after it announced the commencement of implementation of the decision to designate the Houthi group as an international terrorist organization.

According to the statement, the banks are: (Solidarity Bank, Al-Kuraimi Islamic Microfinance Bank, Yemen Bahrain Comprehensive Bank, Yemen Islamic Bank for Finance and Investment, Saba Islamic Bank, Yemen Gulf Bank, Yemen Commercial Bank, Yemen Microfinance Bank).

The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions related to the Houthi militia, targeting seven leaders accused of illegally importing weapons, as well as another member accused of sending Yemeni civilians to fight in Ukraine alongside Russian forces.