Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
On Saturday evening, the EU expressed its support for the statement issued by the UN Secretary-General and strongly condemned the latest round of arbitrary arrests carried out by the Houthis against UN staff working in Yemen.
The EU stated that it joins the calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all UN staff, NGO workers, and diplomatic missions personnel detained by the Houthis.
The EU said that these arrests jeopardize the delivery of much-needed humanitarian and development assistance to the Yemeni people.
Earlier on Saturday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the Houthi group to immediately release the UN staff detained in their prisons in Sana’a.
In a statement, he called for the immediate and unconditional release of those detained on Thursday, as well as UN staff, international and national NGOs, civil society, and diplomatic missions personnel arbitrarily detained since June 2024, and those detained in 2021 and 2023. The continued arbitrary detention of these individuals is unacceptable.
He added, “UN staff and their partners must not be targeted, arrested, or detained while carrying out their duties on behalf of the United Nations and the people they serve. The safety and security of UN staff and their property must be guaranteed.”
He said that the continued targeting of UN staff and partners negatively impacts our ability to assist millions of people in need in Yemen. The Houthis must fulfill their previous commitments and work in the interests of the Yemeni people and the comprehensive efforts to achieve peace in Yemen.
He continued, “The UN will continue to work through all available channels to ensure the safe and immediate release of those arbitrarily detained. I welcome the collective support of international partners, NGOs, and all those working to support the Yemeni people in these efforts.”
In June 2024, the Houthis arrested 13 UN staff members, including six working for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as 50 workers for NGO and an employee of an embassy.
The Houthis said at the time that they had dismantled an American-Israeli espionage network operating under the guise of humanitarian organizations, a claim denied by the UN.
It is worth noting that the Houthis have been holding two other UN human rights officers since November 2021 and August 2023.
These developments come after US President Donald Trump signed a decree re-designating the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
