The Yemen conflict darkened on Sunday as Houthi rebels stormed the offices of several United Nations agencies in Sana’a, taking at least 11 staff members into custody. The raid comes just days after an Israeli air strike killed the group’s prime minister and some of its top ministers, spurring tighter security across the capital.
UN Denounces Arbitrary Detentions
Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy to Yemen, decried the arrests as a breach of global norms. “I strongly condemn the new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel today in Sana’a and Hodeidah,” he stated, calling for their “immediate and unconditional” release.
The raids were directed against the World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and UNICEF. Houthi security forces stormed agency offices in Sana’a, taking staff members and UN property, WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa said. UNICEF also confirmed that some of its employees had been detained and that it was taking a complete headcount to figure out how many had been impacted.
A Pattern of Crackdowns
This is the second time Houthis have arrested international aid workers. In January, eight UN staff were arrested in Saada, leading to a suspension of UN activities in the area. Dozens of humanitarian staff, civil society employees, and even members associated with the recently closed US embassy have been taken into custody in such sweeps over the years.
The recent raids highlighted the rebels’ increasing distrust of external organizations with operations in their territory. UN officials have stated that armed combatants interrogated staff in parking areas outside office buildings before detaining some of them. Several employees have since disappeared, triggering concerns over wider arrests.
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Fallout From Israeli Strike
The arrest surge comes after a deadly Israeli attack on Thursday that killed Houthi prime minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and a number of cabinet ministers. The assault, which the movement stated was on a normal government workshop, eliminated senior officials such as the foreign, tourism, and information ministers. A Monday funeral for the assassinated officials is scheduled in central Sana’a.
The Houthis have threatened to ramp up their response. Only last week, they fired a ballistic missile towards Israel, which activated air raid sirens throughout Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Their leadership has cautioned that missile, drone, and naval attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping lanes will increase.
As tensions escalate, the arrest of UN personnel risks increasing Yemen’s isolation and testing strained humanitarian efforts in one of the world’s worst conflict hotspots.
