The Iran-backed Houthi insurgents of Yemen took another nine employees of the United Nations prisoner on Tuesday, bringing the total number U.N. workers detained over the past four years to 53.
The Houthis did not immediately issue a public statement about why the latest round of U.N. employees were abducted, or where the detentions took place. The Houthis usually claim their prisoners were involved in some sort of espionage plot against them. Most of the detained employees are Yemenis, but some foreign nationals have been taken prisoner as well.
In late August, the Houthis kidnapped 19 U.N. workers from the offices of UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP), accusing them of conducting “espionage” for “the U.S. and its allies, including the Zionist entity (Israel).”
The U.N. dismissed these accusations and demanded the Houthis release their prisoners immediately. The WFP called the detention of its employees, and the vandalism of its offices in Yemen, “intolerable,” and warned the ability of the organization to deliver aid to vulnerable communities in Yemen would be “severely compromised.”
“The safety and protection of humanitarian personnel, premises, and the independence of aid operations must be ensured in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the WFP demanded.
When the WFP’s demands were not heeded, it reluctantly suspended all operations in areas under Houthi control.
“This decision was not taken lightly. The safety and security of our staff is paramount, and we cannot continue our operations under conditions that threaten their freedom and well-being,” the WFP said.
After the latest round of abductions on Tuesday, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric warned that the Houthis are impeding “the U.N.’s ability to operate in Yemen and to deliver critical assistance.”
Dujarric once again demanded “the immediate and unconditional release” of all U.N. staffers, and said they must be “respected and protected in accordance with applicable international law.”
“The United Nations will continue to work tirelessly, and through all available channels, to secure the safe and immediate release of all arbitrarily detained personnel, as well as the return of UN agency offices and other assets,” he said.
The Houthis are an Iran-backed insurgency that captured the capital city of Sanaa in 2014, driving the internationally recognized government of Yemen into exile. The Houthi insurgency has turned Yemen into one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
The Houthis’ name for their movement is Ansar Allah or “Army of Allah.” Their motto is “Allah Is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, a Curse Upon the Jews.” They have attacked international shipping, plus targets in Israel, to support Hamas during the Gaza war that began in 2023.
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