Abdelrahman
The United Nations announced on Monday that it has halted all humanitarian activities in a substantial area of northern Yemen under Houthi control. This decision comes in light of the arbitrary detention of its personnel, which has created an unsafe environment for aid operations.
According to Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the U.N., Secretary-General António Guterres made this determination following the recent detention of eight additional U.N. staff members in late January, raising the total number of arrests to 24 since 2021.
Haq noted that the Houthis breached a previous agreement made in December that aimed to prevent the detention of U.N. employees and ensure the release of those already held. Yet, within weeks, the Houthis arrested eight more individuals on vague accusations of espionage and foreign interference.
In a statement, the U.N. emphasized, “This exceptional and temporary measure aims to balance the urgent need to provide assistance with the paramount requirement for the safety and security of U.N. personnel and its partners.”
In addition, the U.N. has ceased all staff travel to areas controlled by the Houthis following these detentions.
On Tuesday, the World Food Program expressed its anger over the death of a staff member who had been in custody of local authorities, although it did not explicitly name the Houthis in its social media statement.
The Houthis, who are the de facto rulers of regions in Yemen, including the capital Sana’a, have the backing of Iran. They have carried out a series of abductions and detentions involving hundreds of individuals working for the U.N. and international non-governmental organizations, as well as numerous current and former employees of the U.S. government, according to U.N. reports.
