Cairo: In a sharp escalation of tensions between the United Nations and Yemen’s Houthi movement, Iran-backed Houthi rebels detained 20 UN employees on Sunday in the capital city of Sanaa, following a raid on another UN compound just a day earlier. The incident marks one of the most severe assaults yet on international humanitarian operations in the war-torn nation.
According to Jean Alam, spokesperson for the UN resident coordinator’s office in Yemen, the detentions took place inside a UN facility located in the Hada district, a southwestern neighborhood of Sanaa. Among those taken were five Yemeni nationals and fifteen international employees, representing several UN agencies.
Alam confirmed that eleven other UN staffers who had been briefly held were later released after questioning by Houthi security forces.
“The United Nations is in contact with the Houthis and other concerned parties to resolve this serious situation as swiftly as possible, to ensure the immediate release of all detained personnel, and to restore full control of our facilities in Sanaa,” Alam said.
A second UN official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, revealed that the Houthi fighters confiscated all communication equipment, including mobile phones, computers, and servers from the seized facility. The source added that the detained staff were affiliated with multiple UN branches among them the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The raid effectively cut off the UN’s ability to coordinate humanitarian operations in the capital, which has been under Houthi control since 2014.
The incident is part of a widening crackdown on international aid organizations and foreign institutions operating in rebel-held territories. In recent months, the Houthis have systematically targeted UN staff, aid workers, and local employees associated with international NGOs in Sanaa, Hodeida, and Saada province—the group’s northern stronghold.
Human rights monitors report that over 50 UN employees and several dozen other humanitarian workers have been detained across rebel-controlled regions. Earlier this year, a World Food Programme staff member died in custody in Saada under unclear circumstances, prompting global outrage and calls for accountability.
The Houthis have repeatedly justified their detentions by claiming without presenting evidence that UN personnel and foreign aid workers are “spies” acting on behalf of hostile governments. The UN has strongly rejected these accusations, calling them “baseless and deeply damaging” to the organization’s ability to deliver life-saving assistance to millions of Yemenis.
The ongoing arrests have forced several UN agencies to scale back or suspend operations in northern Yemen. Following the abduction of eight UN staffers in January, the organization halted activities in Saada province and relocated its top humanitarian coordinator from Sanaa to Aden, the southern port city controlled by the internationally recognized government.
The latest detentions have sparked alarm within diplomatic and humanitarian circles. Observers warn that the Houthis’ actions could severely undermine aid delivery in a country where nearly 80% of the population depends on humanitarian assistance after more than a decade of conflict.
The UN Security Council is expected to discuss the matter in the coming days, amid growing calls for the international community to pressure the Houthis to respect international law and release all detained personnel.
Yemen remains one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies, with ongoing conflict, famine, and disease threatening millions. The UN and partner agencies have struggled to operate in areas under Houthi control, facing restrictions, intimidation, and now direct assaults on staff and infrastructure.
As negotiations for peace remain stalled, the latest confrontation underscores the fragility of humanitarian access in rebel-held territories and the rising risks faced by aid workers attempting to serve Yemen’s most vulnerable communities.
“These detentions threaten to paralyze critical relief operations,” said a senior UN humanitarian official. “Every disruption means lives lost in a country already hanging by a thread.”