More than a dozen aid workers kidnapped by Houthis across Yemen

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have kidnapped more than a dozen aid workers, including United Nations staff, in an apparently coordinated sweep, a diplomatic source and a Yemeni NGO say.

At least 18 Yemeni aid workers were kidnapped in four rebel-held parts of the war-torn country, the Yemeni Mayyun Organization for Human Rights says, listing 10 workers from UN agencies.

A diplomatic source who spoke on condition of anonymity also tells AFP that more than a dozen aid workers, including UN staff, were kidnapped on Thursday.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis or the United Nations.

The Houthis have kidnapped, arbitrarily detained, and tortured hundreds of civilians, including UN and NGO workers, since the start of Yemen’s conflict in 2014.