UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres condemned the Houthi detention of ten more UN staff, bringing the total of locally employed personnel detained to 69 and prompting calls for their immediate release. The UN says the arrests make humanitarian operations in Houthi‑controlled areas untenable and threaten aid delivery to some 19.5 million people in need. Guterres also protested the referral of three staff to a criminal court and urged charges be dropped while calling for dialogue and restraint amid shifting frontlines in southern Yemen.
UN Chief Guterres Condemns Houthi Detention Of 10 More UN Staff; Humanitarian Aid at Risk
A guard outside the United Nations compound in Sanaa, Yemen, following reports of staffers being detained by the Houthis in October [File: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters]
United Nations Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the Houthi detention of ten additional UN staff in Yemen on Friday, raising the number of locally employed UN personnel held to 69 and renewing calls for their immediate release.
“These detentions render the delivery of UN humanitarian assistance in Houthi‑controlled areas untenable. This directly affects millions of people in need and limits their access to life‑saving assistance,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary‑General.
The UN confirmed the newly detained staff are Yemeni nationals. The Houthis, who control much of northwestern Yemen including the capital Sanaa, have stepped up arrests of UN personnel since October 2023 amid heightened tensions related to the war in Gaza. The movement has accused some staff of spying for the United States and Israel — allegations the UN rejects. In Yemen, such accusations can carry the death penalty.
Guterres raised the issue in recent talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman, which has acted as a mediator in the Yemen conflict. He also protested the referral of three detained UN staff to a criminal court, noting the charges relate to "their performance of United Nations official duties" and urging that charges be dropped.
The detentions come as Yemen faces a deepening humanitarian emergency. The UN estimates roughly 19.5 million people — nearly two‑thirds of the population — now require humanitarian assistance. The detention of local staff and restrictions on aid operations threaten delivery of food, medicine and other critical services to millions of vulnerable people.
Meanwhile, the conflict has entered a new phase in the south. Separatists from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) have expanded their presence in southeastern governorates, claiming control of the oil‑rich Hadramout and Al‑Mahra and the port city of Aden. The STC, which seeks an independent southern state, previously fought alongside the internationally recognised, Saudi‑backed government based in Aden against the Houthis.
The STC’s advance has put it at odds with the Aden‑based Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), which condemned the seizures as "unilateral and a blatant violation." STC leader Aidarous al‑Zubaidi holds a seat on the PLC as a vice chairman, but relations remain tense; the government has faced protests and pressure over power outages and a currency crisis in areas under its control. The parties have clashed before, most notably in 2018 and 2019.
Guterres appealed to all parties to exercise "maximum restraint, de‑escalate tensions, and resolve differences through dialogue," warning that continued detentions and shifting frontlines will only deepen Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe.
