UN Staff Detained by Yemen's Houthis Increased to 19
The United Nations raises the number of its employees detained by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital.
UNITED NATIONS: The number of UN employees detained by the Houthi rebels has risen to at least 19 following raids on UN offices in Sanaa, according to the latest update from the United Nations.
This figure surpasses the previously reported count and includes 18 Yemeni staff members alongside one international employee.
The organization is urging for their immediate release.
These raids, which targeted offices belonging to the food, health, and children's agencies of the UN, occurred in response to Israel's killing of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Al-Rahawi and several Cabinet ministers during an airstrike on Thursday.
This event has heightened tensions as Yemen's Houthis have been involved in a civil war with the internationally recognized government since 2014, receiving support from an Iranian-backed coalition.
The situation escalated further after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to a retaliatory war in Gaza and attacks by the Houthis on ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians.
This has prompted US and Israeli counterstrikes within Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
This recent crackdown by the Houthis on the UN and other international organizations, as well as diplomats operating within rebel-held territories, is part of a broader pattern that dates back to 2021, with the rebels previously detaining 23 UN employees.
UN special envoy Hans Grundberg has recently met with key Houthi figures in Oman, where he strongly condemned these actions and warned that they threaten the UN's ability to deliver aid to Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world.
This figure surpasses the previously reported count and includes 18 Yemeni staff members alongside one international employee.
The organization is urging for their immediate release.
These raids, which targeted offices belonging to the food, health, and children's agencies of the UN, occurred in response to Israel's killing of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Al-Rahawi and several Cabinet ministers during an airstrike on Thursday.
This event has heightened tensions as Yemen's Houthis have been involved in a civil war with the internationally recognized government since 2014, receiving support from an Iranian-backed coalition.
The situation escalated further after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to a retaliatory war in Gaza and attacks by the Houthis on ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians.
This has prompted US and Israeli counterstrikes within Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
This recent crackdown by the Houthis on the UN and other international organizations, as well as diplomats operating within rebel-held territories, is part of a broader pattern that dates back to 2021, with the rebels previously detaining 23 UN employees.
UN special envoy Hans Grundberg has recently met with key Houthi figures in Oman, where he strongly condemned these actions and warned that they threaten the UN's ability to deliver aid to Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world.