Houthi rebels detain two more UN staffers in Yemen

In Yemen, the rebel Houthis are after the UN staff. UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg stated that 53 UN personnel remain arbitrarily detained, along with other aid workers and diplomatic staff. The latest arrests followed a televised speech by Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi, who accused UN workers of espionage and links to Israeli airstrikes. The Houthis have a long-running crackdown on the UN and others working in Yemen’s rebel-held areas. The rebels have claimed, without evidence, that detained UN staff and employees of other organizations and embassies were spies, which the UN has denied. The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, sparking a prolonged civil war that has left millions of Yemenis reliant on humanitarian assistance.
Houthi rebels detained two additional United Nations staff members and raided the homes of several others in Yemen over the last 48 hours, the latest in a series of events now forcing the world body to reassess how it operates in the war-torn country.“Since 2021, the de facto authorities have taken a number of steps that have made it increasingly difficult for the UN to provide assistance to Yemenis,”  Farhan Haqq, the deputy UN spokesperson told reporters. ”These actions are forcing us to reassess the way in which we work in areas controlled by the Houthis.”
The detainment marks the latest in a series of escalations by the armed group against both national and international humanitarian workers. Over the last several months, the rebels have forcibly entered and occupied UN premises, including in the capital of Sanaa, where they have seized assets and repeatedly detained personnel. There are now 55 staffers who are currently detained by the Houthis, as well as other non-government and civil society personnel from various diplomatic missions.
The 12 international staffers departed Sanaa on a UN humanitarian flight, with some relocating to Jordan to continue their work there. “The UN, at all levels, continues to be seized with the matter and is in constant contact with the relevant authorities in Sana’a and with concerned Member States and partners to secure their release,” the office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement. “We renew the Secretary-General’s call for their immediate and unconditional release.”