Local News
Houthis Raid UN Offices In Yemen, Detain At Least 11 Staff
Iran-aligned Houthi rebels raided United Nations offices in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Sunday, detaining at least 11 UN personnel, the organisation confirmed.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Houthis forcibly entered the World Food Programme’s premises, seized UN property, and attempted to break into other agency offices in the city. The raid came just days after an Israeli strike on Sanaa killed the Houthi-run government’s prime minister and several ministers.
In a separate statement, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said the detained personnel were based in both Sanaa and the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. Agencies affected include UNICEF, the UN Development Programme, and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Grundberg noted that Sunday’s incident adds to a troubling pattern: 23 other UN staff remain in Houthi custody, some held since 2021, and one detainee died earlier this year.
The latest detentions have heightened international concern over the safety of humanitarian workers in Yemen, where years of conflict have already created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
