A Houthi fighter carries a rifle as Yemenis hold a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, January 17, 2025. (Mohammed Huwais / AFP)
SANAA – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for the “immediate and unconditional” release of all aid staff held in Yemen, after the Iran-backed Houthi rebels detained another seven UN employees.
“Their continued arbitrary detention is unacceptable,” Guterres says in a statement, adding that the UN is working to secure the release of those being held.
The Houthis have detained dozens of staff from the UN and other humanitarian organizations, most since the middle of last year.
Guterres says the “continued targeting of UN personnel and its partners negatively impacts our ability to assist millions of people in need in Yemen.”
The detentions come after US President Donald Trump ordered the Houthis to be placed back on the US list of foreign terrorist organizations, which will trigger a review of UN agencies and other NGOs working in Yemen that receive US funding.
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press as he and first lady Melania Trump (R) prepare to depart the White House aboard Marine One on January 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images/AFP)
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