Yemen Monitor / Sana’a / Exclusive:
The Houthi armed group on Wednesday accused UN employees it detained at the end of August of being spies and of involvement in the assassination of the group’s prime minister in Sana’a by the Israeli occupation.
Sources told Yemen Monitor that the number of detainees from UN-affiliated organizations has risen to 17, including five former employees, who were arrested in Sana’a and Hudaidah. The Houthis raided the offices of the WFP and UNICEF, abducting staff along with computers and data storage devices.
In a statement, the Houthi-run, internationally unrecognized Foreign Ministry said: “The United Nations and some regional organizations hastened to issue statements condemning the legal measures taken by the government against espionage cells involved in crimes, including the crime of targeting the Prime Minister and members of the Government of Change and Development. Meanwhile, they remained suspiciously silent and failed to condemn that crime, which targeted symbols of the state and its national institutions—a dangerous precedent at the regional and global level.”
Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi figure and member of its political bureau, attacked what he described as “espionage cells,” saying that “the US and its allies, including the Zionist entity, are working to recruit some UN employees.”
He added: “There is no immunity for any spy working for the Zionist entity that is committing genocide in Gaza.”
The United Nations has not yet commented on the Houthis’ accusations. The UN envoy to Yemen had previously informed the Houthi negotiating delegation that the detention of UN staff was obstructing humanitarian relief in Yemen.
