Houthis’ crackdown on UN persists

The Houthis’ clampdown on the United Nations and its staff is not a new phenomenon, but rather an ongoing one that has persisted since the group seized power in 2014. Most recently, the Iranian-backed rebels have stormed the UN compound in the Yemen’s capital Sanaa and detained two dozen of its staff, including 5 national Yemenis and 15 international employees, thus raising the total number of arbitrarily detained UN employees to 53 since 2021.

Saturday’s raid came with the same old rhetoric and accusations that the Houthis have long held towards the UN (along with various other foreign NGOs and embassies). The group claimed that the organization’s staff are spies and are committing espionage on behalf of the United States and Israel, allegations that the UN has continuously denied. Animosity between the rebels and both Israel and the US has risen considerably since the 2023 Gaza War, as the group targeted Israel and the international shipping rout in the Red Sea while Tel Aviv and Washington have responded with intensive bombardments as well as numerous assassinations in Yemen.

The raid during the weekend caused severe condemnation, especially from the UN Secretary-General António Guterres who spoke with the foreign ministers and leaders of Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iran and urged them to use their influence and leverage to help free the detained staff.

Indeed, on Tuesday, the Houthis released all 5 Yemeni UN employees, while the remaining 15 UN international staff have only been permitted to freely move inside the compound. Additionally, the UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric also reported that Houthi security forces had left the compound accordingly.