Iran-backed Houthis raid UN offices in Yemen and detain at least 11 employees
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Houthis raid UN offices in Yemen, detain at least 11 people
Iran-backed Houthi rebels raided offices of the United Nations’ food, health, and children’s agencies in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Sunday. At least 11 personnel were detained, according to reports. The raids mark the latest in an ongoing Houthi campaign against UN agencies and international organizations operating in rebel-held territories. Earlier this year, the UN suspended operations in Saada after the detention of eight staffers.
Abeer Etefa, spokesperson for the World Food Program (WFP), told The Associated Press that at least one staffer was detained in Sanaa, while others were reportedly held in nearby areas. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF offices were also raided, according to a UN official and a Houthi source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“WFP reiterates that the arbitrary detention of humanitarian staff is unacceptable,” Etefa said. UNICEF spokesperson Ammar Ammar confirmed that several staffers had been detained, adding that the agency is working to account for all personnel in Houthi-controlled areas.
The raids mark the latest in an ongoing Houthi campaign against UN agencies and international organizations operating in rebel-held territories. Earlier this year, the UN suspended operations in Saada after the detention of eight staffers.
Sunday’s actions follow an Israeli strike on Thursday that killed Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi, Foreign Minister Gamal Amer, Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed al-Medani, and several other Cabinet members, as well as a deputy interior minister. The strike was linked to recent Houthi attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea.
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi warned that attacks on Israel and merchant vessels will continue and escalate. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg called for de-escalation, expressing “great concern” over recent strikes in Houthi-held areas.
Iran-backed Houthis raid UN offices in Yemen, arrest at least 11 employees
Houthi rebels carry out coordinated raids on United Nations offices in Yemen’s capital. At least 11 employees from UN’s food, health, and children’s agencies detained. Raids come just days after Israel killed the Houthi prime minister and several Cabinet members in an airstrike. UN’s special envoy for Yemen condemns the arrests, calling them “arbitrary” and a direct assault on humanitarian work in the war-ravaged country. In January, the UN was forced to suspend operations in Saada, a northern Houthi stronghold, after eight UN staffers were detained. The Houthis have also previously targeted local employees linked to the now-shuttered US embassy in Sana’a. The group’s hostility towards international organisations has disrupted the delivery of aid in Yemen.
The raids unfolded amid heightened tensions in Sana’a, just days after Israel killed the Houthi prime minister and several Cabinet members in an airstrike. In response, the rebels tightened security across the capital.
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UN ENVOY CONDEMNS DETENTIONS
Hans Grundberg, the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, condemned the arrests, calling them “arbitrary” and a direct assault on humanitarian work in the war-ravaged country.
“I strongly condemn the new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel today in Sana’a and Hodeidah as well as the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property. At least 11 UN personnel were detained,” Grundberg said in a statement Sunday evening.
He demanded that the Houthis release the detained employees “immediately and unconditionally.”
RAIDS TARGET UN AGENCIES
According to Abeer Etefa, spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP), Houthi security forces stormed agency offices in the Houthi-controlled capital on Sunday morning.
“At least one staff member was detained in Sana’a, and others were reportedly detained in other areas,” she told the Associated Press.
“WFP reiterates that the arbitrary detention of humanitarian staff is unacceptable,” she added.
The offices of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF were also targeted. A UN official and a Houthi official, both speaking to the Associated Press, confirmed that armed fighters entered the compounds, questioned employees in the parking areas, and seized property.
Ammar Ammar, a spokesperson for UNICEF, confirmed that several of the agency’s workers were detained. “We are seeking additional information from the Houthis,” he said. Both UNICEF and WFP announced they were conducting a “comprehensive head count” of staff across Sana’a and other rebel-controlled areas to determine the full scale of the detentions.
PATTERN OF CRACKDOWN
Sunday’s arrests represent the latest in a series of Houthi crackdowns against the United Nations and humanitarian groups. Over the years, dozens of UN employees, aid workers, and civil society figures have been detained by the group, often without explanation or due process.
In January, the UN was forced to suspend operations in Saada, a northern Houthi stronghold, after eight UN staffers were detained. The Houthis have also previously targeted local employees linked to the now-shuttered US embassy in Sana’a.
The group’s hostility towards international organisations has disrupted the delivery of aid in Yemen, a country where millions face food insecurity and lack access to basic healthcare after years of war.
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The raids came just three days after an Israeli strike killed the Houthi prime minister and several senior Cabinet members. The assassination was a severe blow to the rebel leadership, which has aligned itself with Iran and positioned itself as part of the broader regional struggle tied to the Israel-Hamas war.
– Ends
With inputs from Associated Press
Yemen’s Houthi rebels detain at least 11 UN staff in latest crackdown
Yemen’s Houthi rebels reportedly detained at least 11 United Nations staff members in raids on UN offices on Sunday. In January, the group also detained eight UN staff. Arrests came days after an Israeli air strike killed the group’s prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, along with other officials. The militant group vowed to intensify attacks on Israel following Rahawi’s death, which they described as a “cowardly’ strike. The arrests prompted the UN to limit deployments and suspend some operations in rebel-held areas.
In a statement cited by news agency AFP, the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said, “I strongly condemn the new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel today in Sanaa and Hodeida… as well as the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property.”
He said, “at least 11 UN personnel were detained” and demanded they be “immediately and unconditionally” released.
Grundberg further added that the rebels were already holding 23 UN workers, some since 2021 and 2023. In January, the group also detained eight UN staff.
WFP staff among those held
The World Food Programme (WFP) said earlier Sunday that one of its staff had been detained in Sanaa. A UN security source later confirmed to the news agency that seven WFP employees and three UNICEF workers were among those arrested following raids on their offices.
The WFP said in a statement: “The arbitrary detention of humanitarian staff is unacceptable. The safety and security of personnel is essential to carrying out life-saving humanitarian work.”
A Yemeni security source told AFP that the Houthis had arrested dozens of people in Sanaa and other areas on suspicion of collaborating with Israel. The arrests came days after an Israeli air strike killed the group’s prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, along with other officials.
On Sunday, the militant group vowed to intensify attacks on Israel following Rahawi’s death, which they described as a “cowardly” strike. He is the most senior Huthi official confirmed killed in Israeli operations since the start of the Gaza war.
A decade of civil war has left Yemen facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than half of its population dependent on aid. Last year’s arrests prompted the UN to limit deployments and suspend some operations in rebel-held areas.
(With AFP inputs)
Houthi rebels raid UN premises in Yemen, detain at least 11 people, reports say
The raid followed an Israeli strike on Sanaa that killed the prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi-run government and several other ministers. A representative for the UN in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Associated Press said at least one staffer was detained in the city and others reportedly detained in other areas.
Reuters could not immediately verify the information. A representative for the UN in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The raid followed an Israeli strike on Sanaa that killed the prime minister of Yemen’s Houthi-run government and several other ministers.
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World Food Programme spokesperson Abeer Etefa told The Associated Press that security forces raided the agencies’ offices in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa on Sunday morning, adding that at least one staffer was detained in the city and others reportedly detained in other areas.
World Health Organization and UNICEF offices were also raided, AP reported, citing a UN official and a Houthi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Armed forces raided the offices and questioned employees in the parking lot, the report said, citing a UN official, who added that contact with several other WFP and UNICEF staffers was lost and that they were likely also detained.
(Reporting by Yazhini MV in Bengaluru; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Diane Craft)
Yemen’s Houthi rebels raid UN premises, detain at least 11 workers in Sanaa
The United Nations said Yemen’s Houthis detained at least 11 workers on Aug 31 in raids on UN premises. It came after rebel authorities had made numerous arrests following Israel’s killing of their prime minister. No comment from Houthi authorities on the reported raids, but the group has previously arrested international aid workers. The Houthis were already detaining 23 UN personnel, some since 2021 and 2023, the U.N. envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said in a statement. The arrests last year prompted the United Nations to limit its deployments and suspend activities in some regions of the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country. The Iran-backed group vowed to intensify its attacks on Israel after the killing of Mr Rahawi, the most senior Houthi official known to have died in a series of Israeli attacks during the Gaza war.
Houthi fighters participate in a protest against Israel in Sana’a, Yemen, on Aug 29.
SANAA, Yemen – The United Nations said Yemen’s Houthis detained at least 11 workers on Aug 31 in raids on UN premises, which came after rebel authorities had made numerous arrests following Israel’s killing of their prime minister.
There has been no comment from Houthi authorities on the reported raids, but the group has previously arrested international aid workers.
The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said in a statement: “I strongly condemn the new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel today in Sanaa and Hodeida… as well as the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property.”
He said that “at least 11 UN personnel were detained” and demanded that they be “immediately and unconditionally” released.
The Houthis were already detaining 23 UN personnel, some since 2021 and 2023, he added. In January, the Houthi rebels detained eight UN workers.
The Houthis claimed arrests made in June 2024 included “an American-Israeli spy network” operating under the cover of humanitarian organisations – allegations emphatically rejected by the UN.
Earlier on Aug 31, the World Food Programme said one of its staff members had been detained in the rebel-held capital Sanaa.
It said it was “urgently seeking additional information” from the Houthi authorities, who seized the capital Sanaa in 2014 and now control large parts of Yemen.
A security source in Sanaa told AFP that seven WFP employees and three Unicef workers were arrested on Aug 31 after their offices had been raided.
The WFP statement said that “the arbitrary detention of humanitarian staff is unacceptable. The safety and security of personnel is essential to carrying out life-saving humanitarian work.”
Mr Grundberg said the “arrests violate the fundamental obligation to respect and protect their (UN personnel) safety, dignity, and ability to carry out their essential work in Yemen”.
A decade of civil war has plunged Yemen into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than half of the population relying on aid.
The arrests last year prompted the United Nations to limit its deployments and suspend activities in some regions of the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country.
‘Cowardly’ attack
On Aug 30, a Yemeni security source told AFP that Houthi authorities had arrested dozens of people in Sanaa and other areas “on suspicion of collaborating with Israel”.
It came after Israel’s strike on Aug 28 that killed the Houthis’ Prime Minister Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi , along with other officials.
The Iran-backed group on Aug 31 vowed to intensify its attacks on Israel after the killing of Mr Rahawi, the most senior Houthi official known to have died in a series of Israeli attacks during the Gaza war.
A Sanaa resident, requesting anonymity for safety reasons, told AFP that striking a ministerial meeting was “cowardly and brutal”, expressing dismay at some in Yemen “who celebrate this violence”.
Ali, another resident of Sanaa who gave only his first name, denounced “a blatant attack… against our country’s sovereignty.”
A video posted online by a Yemeni comedian several hours after the announcement of Mr Rahawi’s death has sparked uproar.
The comedian, Mohammed al-Adrei, who presents himself as an adviser to Yemen’s internationally recognised government that the Houthis oppose, filmed himself dancing to festive music in traditional clothes.
Writer Khaled al-Rowaishan responded on Facebook: “It is an absolute shame to celebrate the death of any Yemeni killed by Israeli missiles.” AFP