Barran Press
The Houthi group, designated as a terrorist organization by the international community, has imposed new restrictions on UN organizations and international agencies in areas under its control, following a widespread crackdown that saw the detention of dozens of staff members.
A document issued by the so-called "General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Cooperation," affiliated with the Houthis, and reviewed by "Barran Press," revealed that the group is demanding prior approval "before hiring any local or foreign personnel in international organizations."
The group has requested that UN organizations and international agencies "submit the organizational structure of each organization, including job titles and employee names."
According to the document, the Houthis have given international organizations operating in areas under their control a "one-week" deadline from the date of receiving the circular to submit the required data.
These measures come after a widespread campaign of arrests launched by the Houthis since the beginning of June against staff members of international and UN organizations working in Sana'a and areas under the group's control.
On June 24, 2024, Human Rights and Legal Affairs Minister Ahmed Arman accused the Houthis of "continuing a campaign of arrests against aid workers from international and UN organizations and local organizations in Sana'a," confirming that the number of detainees has exceeded 70, including staff members from UN agencies, international and local organizations, among them five women.
On July 12, 2024, the United Nations stated that it continues to work through all possible channels to secure the "immediate and unconditional release" of its staff members "arbitrarily detained" by the Houthi group, internationally designated as a terrorist organization.
On July 18, 2024, the Prime Minister of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, Ahmed bin Mubarak, sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres regarding the developments in the situation of the Houthis' kidnapping of "dozens of employees of UN and international organizations, putting their lives at risk."
In the letter, the Prime Minister highlighted "the violations committed by the Houthi militia against humanitarian work and employees of UN organizations," according to the official Yemeni news agency Saba.
He stated that "the measures taken by UN offices in Yemen to protect their employees and save their lives have not been at an acceptable or expected level so far, and do not rise to the level of the danger threatening their lives and freedom."
Bin Mubarak stressed "the need for the United Nations to play its humanitarian role in protecting local employees working within it and doing everything possible to release the kidnapped individuals, suspending the travel of the humanitarian coordinator and representatives of UN organizations and key staff to Sana'a."
The Prime Minister called for "working to begin transferring the functions of major administrative and technical organizations to the temporary capital, Aden, to alleviate the group's pressure on UN organizations." He demanded that UN and international organizations "take the necessary technical and administrative measures to protect the databases and correspondence of UN organizations to protect local employees."