The United Nations has announced the suspension of its operations in Yemen’s Saada region, a stronghold for the Houthis, following the detention of several personnel by the rebels this year.
The Iran-backed Houthis have taken into custody numerous staff members from UN and various humanitarian organizations, with most arrests occurring since the middle of 2024, as Yemen’s protracted civil war continues.
In January alone, the rebels apprehended eight UN workers, six of whom were detained in Saada.
Consequently, the UN Secretary-General “has directed the agencies, funds, and programs of the United Nations, in light of the lack of essential security conditions and assurances, to suspend all operations and programs” in Saada, according to deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.
This suspension aims to “allow time for the de facto authorities and the United Nations to facilitate the release of arbitrarily detained UN personnel and to ensure that the necessary conditions are established for the delivery of critical humanitarian support,” he added.
Mr. Haq could not specify how many Yemenis would be impacted by the suspension of UN activities.
In late January, the UN disclosed that the Houthis had detained seven staff members – a figure that has now been updated to eight, contributing to the considerable number of NGO and UN personnel held since June.
The Houthis alleged that the June arrests involved “an American-Israeli spy network” operating under the guise of humanitarian organizations – a claim that has been strongly denied by the UN Human Rights Office.
The Houthis’ capture of the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 prompted a Saudi-led intervention in the following March, leading to a conflict that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths due to both direct and indirect factors, including disease.
