UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Monday for Houthi rebels in Yemen to immediately and unconditionally release UN staff, humanitarians, diplomatic personnel and others who have been detained for more than two months.
The more than 60 men and women being held are all Yemeni nationals. They include 13 UN staff and members of civil society, local and international non-governmental organizations, diplomatic missions and private sector entities.
Additionally, four other staff from the UN’s human rights office, OHCHR, and its cultural agency, UNESCO, have been held since 2021 and 2023, respectively.
Dire humanitarian situation
Yemeni Government forces, backed by a Saudi coalition, have been battling with the Houthis, also known as the Ansar Allah movement, for a decade.
The UN continues to monitor the dire humanitarian and development situation in the country.
Over 18 million people, more than half the population, are suffering the consequences of food insecurity, epidemics, displacement, damaged infrastructure and critical economic conditions.
Not a target
“The United Nations is working tirelessly to address the impact of the situation on the people of Yemen, but the safety of our personnel must be assured,” said the Secretary-General’s Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, speaking during his daily briefing from New York.
He stressed that the UN and partners “should never be targeted, arrested or detained while carrying out their mandates.”
UN rights office handed back
The UN Secretary-General also strongly condemned the recent forced entry by the Houthis into the premises of the OHCHR office in the capital, Sana’a.
Mr. Dujarric noted that the office was handed back to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Julien Harneis, on Monday, who reported that the office appears to be in its original state, but an inventory is currently underway.
“The Resident Coordinator says we are encouraged by this move and renew our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained staff of UN and NGO and civil society personnel,” the Spokesperson told journalists.
