Houthis detain UN staff in Yemen

The rebel group arrested 20 aid workers following a raid on a compound in Sanaa, a United Nations spokesman has said.

Houthi rebels detained United Nations staffers in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Sunday, UN spokesman Jean Alam has said.

The militant group previously accused aid workers of spying for the US and Israel, allegations the UN has denied.

Alam said 20 employees of various UN agencies, including 16 foreign nationals, were detained during a raid on the organization’s compound in the Hada district. He added that 11 others were released after questioning.

AFP cited an unnamed UN official as saying that UNICEF’s envoy in Yemen, Peter Hawkins, is among those detained. AP reported that the Houthis confiscated all electronic devices, including computers and phones.

“The UN is 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 Sanaa,” Alam said.

In a televised address on Saturday, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said the militants had dismantled what he described as a “dangerous espionage network” linked to the CIA and Mossad, claiming that the UN World Food Programme and UNICEF had been used as cover for “subversive operations.”

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, dismissed the accusations as “dangerous and unacceptable” and called for the release of all aid workers.

The Houthis, who control a large portion of Yemen, have launched drones and missiles at Israel and attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea in response to the war in Gaza. Israel, the US, and UK have responded with airstrikes on Houthi-linked targets.

Image credit: Bernd Dittrich