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Yemen’s Houthi authorities detained at least 11 United Nations personnel Sunday during raids on UN offices, the United Nations said, following a series of arrests after Israel killed the group’s prime minister.
There was no immediate comment from Houthi authorities, but the group has previously detained international aid workers.
UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg condemned the raids, saying, “I strongly condemn the new wave of arbitrary detentions of UN personnel today in Sanaa and Hodeida... as well as the forced entry into UN premises and seizure of UN property.”
Grundberg added that “at least 11 UN personnel were detained” and demanded their “immediate and unconditional” release. He noted that the Houthis were already holding 23 UN personnel, some detained since 2021 and 2023, and that in January eight UN workers were also detained.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced similar condemnation Sunday, calling for the “immediate and unconditional release” of the detained personnel. “I further condemn the forced entry into the premises of the World Food Programme, the seizure of UN property, and attempts to enter other UN premises in Sanaa,” he said.
The Houthis previously claimed that arrests in June 2024 targeted “an American-Israeli spy network” operating under the cover of humanitarian organizations, a claim emphatically rejected by the UN.
Earlier Sunday, the World Food Programme said one of its staff members was detained in Houthi-controlled Sanaa and said it was “urgently seeking additional information” from Houthi authorities. A security source in Sanaa told AFP that seven WFP employees and three UNICEF workers were arrested after their offices were raided.
The WFP called the detentions “unacceptable,” emphasizing that the safety and security of personnel are essential to carrying out life-saving humanitarian work. Grundberg said the arrests violate the fundamental obligation to respect and protect UN personnel’s safety, dignity, and ability to perform their duties in Yemen.
Yemen has been mired in civil war for a decade, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than half the population reliant on aid. Last year’s arrests prompted the UN to limit deployments and suspend operations in some areas.
On Saturday, a Yemeni security source told AFP that the Houthis had arrested dozens in Sanaa and other areas “on suspicion of collaborating with Israel.” The arrests followed an Israeli strike Thursday that killed the Houthis’ prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, along with other officials.
The Iran-backed group vowed Sunday to intensify attacks on Israel after Rahawi’s death, the most senior Houthi official known to have been killed during the Gaza war.
A Sanaa resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the Israeli strike “cowardly and brutal,” expressing dismay at Yemenis celebrating the violence. Another resident, identified only as Ali, condemned it as “a blatant attack... against our country’s sovereignty.”
A video posted online by Yemeni comedian Mohammed al-Adrei, portraying himself dancing in traditional dress shortly after Rahawi’s death, sparked public outrage. Writer Khaled al-Rowaishan wrote on Facebook: “It is an absolute shame to celebrate the death of any Yemeni killed by Israeli missiles.”
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