Sanaa, September 2, 2025.- In the aftermath of Israeli strikes that killed Prime Minister Huthi Ahmed al-Rahawi, Iranian-backed rebels raided UN offices in Sana'a and Hodeida, arresting at least 11 employees. The UN and the international community denounce a « arbitrary detention » and demand their immediate release.
On Sunday, 31 August, Houthis fighters stormed United Nations offices in Yemen, arresting at least 11 employees. According to a security source, seven World Food Programme (WFP) and three United Nations Children ' s Fund (UNICEF) staff members were among those arrested. Property belonging to the organization was also seized.
These arrests occur two days after the death of Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, Prime Minister of the Houthi government, killed in an Israeli strike in Sana'a. In retaliation, the rebels multiplied the arrests, accusing the humanitarians of belonging to a « American-Israeli espionage network » a charge rejected by the UN.
UN indignation
Secretary-General António Guterres denounced « with the greatest firmness » a serious violation of UN privileges. He demanded the immediate and unconditional release not only of the 11 employees arrested on Sunday, but also of dozens of UN and NGO agents already detained since 2021, 2023 and 2024.
« Humanitarian personnel must never be targeted »The Special Envoy Hans Grundberg recalled that the safety of humanitarian workers is essential in a country where more than half of the population depends on external assistance.
These events occur as the war in Yemen, which has been engulfed for more than a decade, now intersperses with regional tensions. The Houthis, Iran's allies, promised to intensify their attacks on Israel after the death of Rahawi. The Israeli strikes, in retaliation for the Huthies offensives on Israeli maritime traffic and territory, threaten to turn the Red Sea into a battlefield for a broader geopolitical conflict.
Yemen is already experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with millions of civilians dependent on international aid. But the arbitrary detention of United Nations personnel further weakens relief operations, as some missions have already been reduced following the waves of arrests in 2024.
W.A.
