Yemen’s Houthi rebels have detained seven more UN staff, the UN chief said Friday, their latest move to target aid workers.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of all aid workers held in Yemen, which is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
“His continued arbitrary detention is unacceptable,” Guterres said in a statement. He said the United Nations was working to ensure the release of those detained.
The Iran-backed Houthis have detained dozens of staff from the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations, most of them since the middle of last year.
“The continued targeting of UN personnel and its partners negatively impacts our ability to assist the millions of people in need in Yemen,” Guterres said.
Yemen, torn by a decade of war, has plunged into a humanitarian disaster with more than 18 million people in need of aid and protection, according to the United Nations.
The office of Yemen’s local UN coordinator said that following the latest detentions, the UN had suspended “all official activities” in areas held by the Houthis.
The arrests were made after US President Donald Trump ordered the Houthis to be placed back on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations.
According to the executive order signed on Wednesday, relisting the Houthis will trigger a review of UN agencies working in Yemen and other non-governmental organizations that receive US funding.
Mohammed al-Basha of Basha Report, a US-based risk consultancy, called the latest detention “an expected reaction” to the “terrorist” designation.
“They believe that by detaining UN staff they will be able to put pressure on the international community to pressure the Trump administration,” he said.
There was no immediate comment from the Houthis, who captured the capital Sanaa in 2014 and rule large parts of the impoverished country.
Rebels who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians have been attacking Red Sea shipping routes and firing at Israel since the Gaza war began, prompting retaliatory strikes by US, Israeli and British forces. Still working.
With the Gaza ceasefire beginning last Sunday, the Houthis have taken conciliatory steps, including releasing the 25-strong international crew of the cargo ship Galaxy Leader seized in the Red Sea in November 2023.
The rebels have also promised to reduce attacks on the Red Sea and said they will stop targeting Israel if it sticks to the ceasefire.
The Houthis have been at war with the Saudi-led coalition since 2015, although hostilities have declined sharply since a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022.
According to rights groups, since the beginning of the war, the Houthis have abducted, arbitrarily detained and tortured hundreds of civilians, including UN and NGO workers.
In June, rebels detained 13 UN personnel, including six human rights office staff and more than 50 NGO staff and one embassy staff member.
They claimed to have arrested “an American-Israeli espionage network” operating under the cover of humanitarian organizations – allegations strongly rejected by the UN human rights office.
Two other UN human rights staff have already been detained until November 2021 and August 2023, respectively.
In early August, the Houthis attacked the UNHCR office, forcing staff to hand over the keys, and seizing documents and property, before recapturing it later that month.