Houthis Detain Dozens of UN Staff in Sana’a, Seize Equipment at UN Sites
Iran-backed Houthi forces detained at least two dozen United Nations employees on Sunday in Sana’a, Yemen, after entering a UN compound and seizing communications equipment, UN officials said. The detentions—carried out in the southwestern Hada district—followed a raid on another UN site a day earlier, part of a widening Houthi clampdown on international organizations operating in territory the group controls.
Jean Alam, spokesman for the UN resident coordinator in Yemen, said those held Sunday included five Yemenis and 15 international staff; the Houthis later released 11 personnel after questioning. He added that the UN is in contact with the group and other interlocutors “to resolve this serious situation as swiftly as possible, end the detention of all personnel, and restore full control over its facilities in Sanaa.” A second UN official said the Houthis confiscated phones, servers, and computers during the operation. The detained staff work across multiple agencies, including the World Food Program (WFP), UNICEF, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
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.
The Houthis have tightened restrictions on aid groups in areas under their control—among them Sana’a, Al Hudaydah, and Saada—during Yemen’s long civil conflict. Humanitarian access has been repeatedly disrupted by arrests, movement constraints, and interference in aid operations. More than 50 UN personnel have been detained over time, according to aid officials, and a WFP employee died in custody earlier this year in Saada.
In response to earlier arrests, the UN suspended operations in Saada province in January and moved its top humanitarian coordinator from Sana’a to Aden, the seat of the internationally recognized government. The latest detentions threaten to further impede lifesaving assistance in a country where millions rely on external aid.
