Yemen's Houthi rebels detain 9 more UN staff as part of a crackdown

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CAIRO (AP) — Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have detained nine employees of the United Nations as part of a long-running crackdown on the organization, the U.N. said.

The detentions brings the number of detained U.N. workers in Houthi-held territories in Yemen to 53 since 2021, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement late Monday.

No details about the circumstances or timing of the latest detentions were provided. Houthi officials did not respond to calls and messages seeking comment.

The rebels have previously said that their crackdown on the U.N. and other international groups is linked to suspected members of an alleged espionage network.

Dujarric said the crackdown has impeded “the UN’s ability to operate in Yemen and to deliver critical assistance” to the local population in the Arab world’s poorest country.

He called for “the immediate and unconditional release” of all U.N. staff as well as workers from other international organizations and diplomatic missions who have been detained by the rebels.

“They must be respected and protected in accordance with applicable international law,” Dujarric said.

Alessandra Vellucci, chief spokesperson for the U.N. in Geneva, said the detained workers are all Yemeni nationals and that the arbitrary detentions have impacted U.N. operations in areas controlled by the Houthis. Both the World Food Program and UNICEF operate in the rebel-held northern half of the country and the capital of Sanaa.

“The majority of our staffers in Yemen are Yemenis, and all of our detained staff are Yemenis, this is their home," Vellucci said. "Their job is to support their fellow citizens, save lives, provide lifesaving assistance, and they should never be penalized for that or live in fear.”

In August, the rebels raided U.N. offices in Sanaa and detained 19 employees, according to the U.N. They later released Lana Shukri Kataw, the deputy director of UNICEF in the country.

The raids were the latest in a long-running Houthi crackdown against the U.N. and other international organizations working in rebel-held areas in Yemen.

The crackdown has forced the U.N. to suspend its operations in the Houthi stronghold of Saada, a province in northern Yemen, following the detention of eight staff there in January.

The U.N. also relocated its top humanitarian coordinator in Yemen from Sanaa to the coastal city of Aden, which serves as seat for the internationally recognized government.

Yemen has plunged into civil war in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile.

A coalition led by Saudi Arabia and including the United Arab Emirates intervened the following year in an attempt to return the government to power. The war has been stalemated in recent years — the rebels reached a deal with Saudi Arabia that stopped their attacks on the kingdom in return for ceasing the Saudi-led strikes on their territories.

The rebels are engaged in tit-for-tat exchanges with Israel over the war in Gaza. They have also attacked ships sailing in the Red Sea off Yemen over allegations of links to Israel.

Israel has previously launched waves of airstrikes in response to the Houthis’ firing of missiles and drones at Israel.

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Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.