UN staff get detained by Houthis in Yemen— UN spokesperson
(MENAFN) Houthi rebels in Yemen have detained several United Nations staff members in the capital, Sanaa, according to UN spokesperson Jean Alam. The detentions took place on Sunday amid escalating tensions between the group and international organizations.
Alam confirmed that 20 employees from multiple UN agencies, including 16 foreign nationals, were taken into custody during a raid on the UN compound in the city’s Hada district. He added that 11 of those detained were later released following interrogation.
Reports indicated that among those still held is UNICEF’s envoy in Yemen, Peter Hawkins, while Houthi forces also seized all electronic equipment, including computers and mobile phones.
“The UN is in contact with the Houthis and other parties to resolve this serious situation as swiftly as possible, end the detention of all personnel, and restore full control over its facilities in Sanaa,” Alam said.
The Houthis have previously accused aid workers of espionage for the United States and Israel—claims that the UN has strongly denied.
In a televised speech a day earlier, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi announced that his forces had uncovered what he called a “dangerous espionage network” allegedly linked to the CIA and Mossad. He claimed that those involved had used UN agencies such as the World Food Programme and UNICEF as fronts for “subversive operations.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, condemned the accusations as “dangerous and unacceptable” and demanded the immediate release of all detained humanitarian personnel.
The Houthis currently control much of northern and western Yemen and have recently intensified regional hostilities by launching missile and drone attacks toward Israel and targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea. In response, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel have carried out airstrikes on Houthi positions and infrastructure.
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