UN Re-evaluates Its Work in Houthi-Controlled Areas After Detention of Staff
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The United Nations announced on Friday that it is re-evaluating its mode of operation in areas under the control of the Houthi group, following a series of violations and increasing restrictions targeting its staff and offices in recent years. This comes at a time when arrests of its local and international personnel continue.
The Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, stated that the de facto authorities in Sana’a (the Houthis) “have taken a number of steps since 2021 that have increased the difficulty of delivering humanitarian assistance to Yemenis.” He pointed out that these measures included storming and occupying UN premises, seizing its assets, and the repeated arbitrary detention of its staff.
Dujarric clarified that approximately 55 UN staff members are still being detained by the Houthis, including two who were recently arrested.
He added that these developments “are forcing the international organization to re-evaluate its mode of operation in those areas,” confirming the appointment of Mr. Mu’in Shreim to lead and enhance ongoing efforts to secure the release of the detainees and prevent any future detentions.
The UN announcement followed a new wave of arrests carried out by the Houthi group in Sana’a, which targeted seven Yemeni employees working for the organization on charges of “espionage for Israel,” according to media reports citing a source within the group.
According to sources, the arrests took place between Thursday evening and Friday morning.
This incident comes days after the group detained 20 UN staff members, including 15 foreigners and a representative from UNICEF, following their storming of a UN compound in the capital, Sana’a, which they have controlled since 2014.
The group had also previously stormed other UN offices on August 31 and detained 11 staff members, according to official UN statements.
In recent months, fears have escalated within international humanitarian organizations working in Yemen regarding the deterioration of the humanitarian work environment in Houthi-controlled areas. Workers there face increasing harassment, restrictions on their movement, in addition to detention and unlawful interrogations.
Yemen is one of the countries most reliant on humanitarian aid. UN estimates indicate that more than 18 million people will need some form of humanitarian assistance in 2025, half of whom are children, amid the ongoing conflict, economic deterioration, and collapse of basic services.
The UN spokesperson affirmed that the organization “will not stop calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained staff,” noting that some of them have been out of contact for years.
He added that “humanitarian work must be conducted in a safe and neutral environment,” warning that the continuation of these practices “threatens to hinder the delivery of vital aid to millions of Yemenis who depend on it for survival.”
