Houthis Announce Intention to Try UN Staff for Alleged Involvement in Israeli Attacks
Yemen Monitor / Reuters:
The Houthi group in Sana’a has announced that local United Nations staff members will be referred to the judiciary on suspicion of involvement in an Israeli airstrike that killed a number of their senior leaders in the Yemeni capital last August.
Abdulwahab Al-Durra, the acting Foreign Minister in the Houthi’s internationally unrecognized government, stated in comments to Reuters that the measures taken by security agencies were “carried out under judicial supervision and with follow-up from the public prosecution.” He added that the process is nearing its conclusion and “will lead to trials and judicial rulings.”
The prime minister of the unrecognized Houthi government and a number of ministers were killed in that airstrike, which was the first of its kind to target high-level leaders of the Iran-backed group.
According to the UN, 36 of its staff were detained following the attack, though it is unclear how many will face trials. The international organization has repeatedly denied Houthi accusations regarding the involvement of its staff or programs in any espionage activities inside Yemen.
Al-Durra claimed that there is “clear evidence” of the involvement of a cell within the World Food Programme in targeting the Houthi government. There was no immediate comment from the WFP on this allegation, while the UN reiterated its rejection of these claims.
The international organization states that the Houthis are detaining at least 59 of its staff members and has described these detentions as “arbitrary,” demanding their immediate release.
Simultaneously, the UN accuses the Houthis of tightening restrictions on the work of its humanitarian organizations in Yemen, noting that the group’s forces raided several of its offices in Sana’a last week.
Despite this, Al-Durra asserted that the Houthi group in Sana’a continues to support the work of humanitarian organizations that “adhere to humanitarian principles” and is facilitating their activities within the country.
It is noteworthy that the Houthis have controlled the capital, Sana’a, and vast areas of northern Yemen since 2014. Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October 2023, the group has escalated its attacks on ships in the Red Sea and launched missiles toward “Israel,” most of which have been intercepted.
