UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Houthi rebels detained two more United Nations staff and raided the homes of several more in Yemen over the past 48 hours, the latest in a series of events that are now forcing the world body to reassess how it operates in the war-torn country.
The detention of two employees was confirmed on Friday by Farhan Haqq, deputy spokesman for the UN. Three World Food Program officials confirmed that the raids on the homes of Yemeni staff and UN facilities took place on Thursday and Friday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
“Since 2021, the de facto authorities have taken a series of measures that have made it increasingly difficult for the UN to provide assistance to Yemenis,” Haqq told reporters. “These actions force us to re-evaluate the way we work in Houthi-controlled areas.”
The arrest marks the latest in a series of escalations by the armed group against both national and international humanitarian workers. In recent months, rebels have forcibly entered and occupied UN premises, including in the capital Sanaa, where they have seized property and repeatedly detained staff. There are currently 55 employees detained by the Houthis, as well as other non-governmental and civil society staff from several diplomatic missions.
On Wednesday, rebels released a dozen international staff and allowed three others to move freely within the U.N. compound after detaining them at the Sanaa facility last weekend.
The 12 international officials left Sana’a on a UN humanitarian flight and some moved to Jordan to continue their work there.
“The UN, at all levels, continues to pursue the matter and is in constant contact with the relevant authorities in Sana’a and with interested Member States and partners to ensure his release,” the office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement. “We renew the Secretary General’s call for his immediate and unconditional release.”
The Houthis have long cracked down on the UN and other agencies working in rebel-held areas of Yemen. The rebels have claimed, without evidence, that detained UN staff and employees of other organizations and embassies were spies, which the UN has denied.
Sunday’s arrests came a day after the Houthis stormed another UN facility in Sana’a, but all staff there were reported to be safe. Among those detained on Sunday were five Yemenis and 15 international staff. The rebels freed 11 other UN employees after interrogating them.
A U.N. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the raid, said over the weekend that the rebels confiscated all of the facility’s communications equipment, including phones, servers and computers.
The official said those detained were from multiple UN agencies, including the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The rebels also raided the UN offices in Sana’a on August 31 and detained 19 employees, according to the UN. The deputy director of the UNICEF office in the country was later released.
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El-Hajj reported from Aden, Yemen.