Houthis raid UN offices in Sanaa and detain another staff member
The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General confirmed that the Houthis had confiscated equipment and assets related to information and communication technology.
A United Nations spokesperson said on Monday that another staff member had been arrested in Yemen, bringing to six the total number of UN employees detained in recent days, as the Iran-backed group seeks to use UN personnel as a bargaining tool.
Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, stated that the arrest took place after Houthi security forces raided several offices in Sanaa on Sunday. He added that the Houthis seized IT and communication assets belonging to the organization.
Dujarric noted that at least 59 UN employees are being held by the Houthis, with some having been detained for several years. According to Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the Secretary-General, hundreds of UN staff remain in areas under Houthi control, including a small number of foreign employees.
“Our immediate priority is the safety and well-being of all UN personnel, including securing the release of our colleagues who have been arbitrarily detained and our affected local partners, while preventing further arrests,” Haq said.
The Iran-backed Houthis have controlled the most populous areas of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, since seizing power in 2014 and early 2015.
According to the UN, the Houthis have taken steps that make it increasingly difficult for the organization to deliver aid to those in need. Last week, Haq said that the Houthis’ actions are forcing the UN to reassess how it operates in areas under their authority.
Last Wednesday, the UN announced that twelve of its employees had left Sanaa after being released by the Houthis, following the earlier release of twenty others.
Although these releases may have been motivated by immediate considerations, the arrests themselves appear to be aimed at using humanitarian workers as political leverage — to extract concessions from the international community or exchange them in future negotiations.
The detention of UN employees, who are protected under international law, has drawn widespread condemnation from humanitarian organizations, the UN Security Council, and several nations. The Houthi group, however, claims to have no issue with UN staff and alleges that the detainees are “accused of spying for the United States.”
Last week, U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin renewed attention to the case of local U.S. embassy staff abducted by the Houthis four years ago, confirming that several of them remain unlawfully detained.
These developments once again highlight the fragile security situation in Houthi-controlled areas and the growing challenges international organizations face in carrying out their humanitarian missions in Yemen.
