Yemen's Houthi Rebels Detain 20 UN Employees, Including 15 Foreigners

Houthi rebels detained 20 employees at a UN facility in Yemen capital, Sana’a, the United Nations said on Sunday.

Of the 20 employees detained, five were Yemenis and 15 international workers but released

another 11 after questioning them on Sunday. The employees were part of agencies including the World Food Programme (WFP), Unicef and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

According to Associated Press, the Houthis have been conducting operations against international organisations working in rebel-held areas including Sana’a, the coastal city of Hodeidah and the rebel stronghold in Saada province. This was the second raid on a UN building in Sana’a in 24 hours.

A UN spokesperson said the officials were in contact with the Houthis and other parties “to resolve this serious situation as swiftly as possible, end the detention of all personnel, and restore full control over its facilities in Sana’a”.

AP quoted another UN official as saying that the rebels have confiscated all communications equipment from the facility, including phones, servers and computers.

Till now, several people, including over 50 UN staffers, have been detained so far by the Iran-backed group. One of the detainees, an employee of the World Food Programme, died in detention earlier this year in Saada.

AP quoted the rebels as claiming without evidence that detained UN staffers and those working with other international groups and foreign embassies were spies. The UN denied the accusations.

The UN suspended its operations in Saada after the detention of eight staff in January.