Barran Press
In a statement issued on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres voiced deep worry over the abduction of 13 UN employees by the Houthi group, an internationally recognized terrorist organization. Guterres emphasized that this distressing development raises serious doubts about the Houthis' commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Yemen. The Secretary-General urgently called for the immediate release of all detained United Nations personnel.
The Secretary-General's concerns were expressed during his meeting with his special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, held on the sidelines of a high-level conference on Gaza. The meeting took place in Jordan and was reported by the United Nations News website.
Guterres condemned all arbitrary detentions of civilians and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detained United Nations staff. The Secretary-General and his envoy discussed recent developments in Yemen, including the escalating crackdown on civil liberties by the de facto authorities. This crackdown has reportedly resulted in the arbitrary detention of numerous United Nations and non-governmental organization personnel working in relief efforts.
Among the 13 UN staff members detained several days ago were individuals from various UN bodies, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNESCO, the Office of the Special Envoy, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Programme, UNICEF, and the World Food Programme. Additionally, at least 11 civil society workers were also unlawfully detained, according to the United Nations News website.
During the meeting, the Secretary-General was briefed by his Special Envoy to Yemen on the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the detained individuals. The envoy had recently met with Mohammed Abdul Salam, head of the Houthi negotiating delegation, in Muscat, as well as senior Omani officials to seek support.
Special Envoy Grundberg conveyed the team's commitment to employing all available channels to secure the immediate and unconditional release of the detained staff, including those from non-governmental organizations. The envoy's office stressed the United Nations' solidarity with all humanitarian workers and civil society actors, acknowledging their crucial role in providing life-saving support to the Yemeni people.
Notably, the envoy's office highlighted that four other UN staff members have been held incommunicado by the de facto authorities since 2021 and 2023. These individuals have been denied contact with their families, organizations, and agencies. The four previously detained employees are associated with UNESCO and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Since Thursday, June 7, the Houthi group, classified as a terrorist organization, has launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting international and local employees of organizations operating in Sanaa and the areas under its control.
A joint statement from 116 local organizations revealed that the Houthi group conducted simultaneous armed operations in Sanaa, Hodeidah, Saada, and Amran, seizing Yemeni employees working for international organizations, UN bodies, and civil society organizations on June 6 and 7, 2024.
On Monday, June 10, the Houthi group, designated a terrorist organization internationally, announced the arrest of an alleged "American-Israeli spy network" that had supposedly engaged in espionage and sabotage activities in Yemen for decades. These claims came just days after the group detained dozens of UN and international agency employees.
According to informed sources in Sanaa, who spoke to Barran Press on condition of anonymity for security reasons, the Houthi group subjected the arrested employees of international organizations to torture, forcing them to make false confessions suggesting their affiliation with intelligence services linked to Washington and Israel.