Increase in imprisoned United Nations personnel by Yemen's Houthis now stands at 19 individuals
In the ongoing civil war between the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognized government, tensions have escalated further with the Houthis cracking down on the United Nations and other international organizations, as well as diplomats working in rebel-held areas.
On Sunday, the Houthis raided UN offices in Yemen's capital, resulting in at least 19 UN employees being detained. Among the detained are 18 Yemeni staffers and one international employee. This is not the first time the Houthis have targeted UN personnel, as they previously detained 23 employees, with some being held since 2021.
The UN strongly condemns these detentions and the forced entry into its offices by the Houthis. These actions seriously endanger the UN's ability to deliver aid to the people of Yemen, who are already suffering from the effects of the conflict.
The current UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has also spoken out against these arbitrary arrests. During a recent visit to Oman's capital, Muscat, Grundberg met with Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam and representatives of the diplomatic community. However, he has not commented on the latest incidents in Yemen.
The raids on UN offices in Yemen's capital occurred following Israel's killing of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed Al-Rahawi and several Cabinet ministers in an airstrike on Thursday. The Houthis have since started attacking ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which sparked US and Israeli retaliatory strikes in areas the rebels control in Yemen.
The UN's ability to deliver aid to the people of Yemen is paramount, and these actions by the Houthis threaten to further complicate an already dire situation. The international community continues to call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen.
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