Houthis Detain UN Staff in Yemen Amid Rising Tensions
UN Staff Detained by Houthis in Yemen, UN Calls for Immediate Release
SANA’A, Yemen — The Houthi authorities have not yet commented on reports that they raided UN offices and detained staff, but the group has a history of arresting international aid workers.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the detentions, calling for the “immediate and unconditional release” of 11 UN personnel reportedly held by the Houthi de facto authorities.
UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said the arrests took place in Sanaa and Hodeida following “the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property.” He noted that the Houthis were already holding 23 UN staff members, some detained since 2021 and 2023. Earlier this year, in January, eight UN workers were also detained by the group.
The Houthis claimed that the June 2024 arrests included members of “an American-Israeli spy network” operating under humanitarian cover — an allegation strongly rejected by the UN.
On Sunday, the World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed that one of its staff members had been detained in Sanaa. The agency said it is “urgently seeking additional information” from the Houthi authorities, who seized Sanaa in 2014 and continue to control large parts of Yemen.
A security source in Sanaa told AFP that seven WFP employees and three UNICEF workers were arrested after their offices were raided. WFP described the detentions as “unacceptable,” emphasizing that the safety of humanitarian staff is vital for delivering life-saving aid.
Grundberg called the arrests a violation of “the fundamental obligation to respect and protect UN personnel’s safety, dignity, and ability to carry out their essential work in Yemen.”
Yemen has endured a decade-long civil war, plunging the country into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. More than half of the population relies on international aid. The detentions have previously forced the UN to limit its operations and suspend activities in some regions.
The arrests follow a series of Houthi crackdowns. On Saturday, a Yemeni security source reported that the Houthis had arrested dozens of people across Sanaa and other areas “on suspicion of collaborating with Israel.” This came after an Israeli strike on Thursday killed the Houthis’ prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, and other officials.
The group vowed on Sunday to intensify attacks on Israel following Rahawi’s death — the highest-ranking Houthi official reported killed in a series of Israeli strikes during the Gaza war.
In a related development, a video by Yemeni comedian Mohammed al-Adrei sparked controversy. Filmed hours after Rahawi’s death, al-Adrei, who presents himself as an adviser to Yemen’s internationally recognized government, was seen dancing in traditional clothes to festive music.
Writer Khaled al-Rowaishan criticized the video on Facebook, saying, “It is an absolute shame to celebrate the death of any Yemeni killed by Israeli missiles.”
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