The UN special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said on 1/9 that the detentions in Sanaa and Hodeida occurred after Houthi forces "illegally entered" UN facilities and "seized property". Their actions violate "the fundamental obligation to respect and protect the safety, dignity, and ability of UN personnel to carry out essential work in Yemen," he said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed that 11 staff members were "arbitrarily detained" by Houthi forces. He called for their "immediate and unconditional release".
A security source in Sanaa revealed that among the detained staff are members of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The WFP issued a statement on 31/8 asserting that "the arbitrary detention of humanitarian workers is unacceptable. Their safety and security are essential for carrying out life-saving humanitarian work,".
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UN vehicles parked outside the Houthi headquarters in Taez, Yemen's third largest city, in 2/2024. Photo: AFP |
UN vehicles parked outside the Houthi headquarters in Taez, Yemen's third largest city, in 2/2024. Photo: AFP
According to Grundberg, the Houthis have now detained 23 UN staff members. Some have been held since 2021 and 2023. In January, the group also detained eight people.
On 30/8, a Yemeni security source reported that the Houthis had detained dozens of people in Sanaa and other areas, accusing them of "collaborating with Israel". This followed an Israeli airstrike on 28/8 that killed the head of the Houthi administration in Sanaa, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, along with several other senior members. The group vowed to escalate attacks on Israel after the incident.
The Houthis are a Shiite Islamist armed group that emerged in Yemen in the 2000s to oppose former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who ruled the country from 1990 until his resignation in 2012. In 2014, the Houthis seized control of Sanaa, ousting the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and forcing him into exile.
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Location of Israel and Yemen. Graphic: Amwaj |
Location of Israel and Yemen. Graphic: Amwaj
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip in 10/2023, Houthi forces have launched multiple missile and drone attacks on Israel in solidarity with Hamas.
Most Houthi attacks have been intercepted, but they have also prompted retaliatory Israeli airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
Vu Hoang (AFP, Reuters)
