UN Flies 12 Staff Out of Yemen After Houthi Detentions; Dozens Still Held
The United Nations said Wednesday it flew 12 international staff members out of Yemen after they were detained by the Houthi authorities in Sanaa last week, part of a broader clampdown that has swept up dozens of UN personnel. In a statement from UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg’s office, the organization added that three other detained employees are now “free to move or travel,” but warned that “53 UN colleagues remain arbitrarily detained by the de facto authorities [the Houthi group],” renewing the secretary-general’s call for their “immediate and unconditional release.” A UN aircraft departed the capital early Wednesday, the UN said.
The detentions followed a weekend raid on the UN compound in Sanaa in which the Houthis held 20 staff, including 15 foreign nationals. Five Yemeni employees were released on Sunday. The UN said last week that staffers’ phones and laptops were confiscated; Wednesday’s statement did not indicate whether those items were returned.
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi recently accused UN personnel of collaborating with Israel in August airstrikes in Sanaa that killed several senior Houthi officials, including the group’s chief of staff, Mohammed al-Gumari. He did not provide evidence, and the UN has rejected the allegations. Israel has said its strikes were carried out in response to Houthi missile attacks.
The Houthis, backed by Iran, seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014, triggering a Saudi-led intervention the following year. Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, the group has launched missiles and drones toward Israel and attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, damaging dozens of vessels and sinking four, actions the group says are in support of Palestinians. Those attacks have drawn expanded naval patrols and periodic airstrikes by a US-led coalition aimed at protecting maritime routes vital to global trade.
