Over the past six months, the Houthis in Yemen have arbitrarily detained and disappeared at least 17 United Nations staff as well as scores of employees of nongovernmental, civil society organizations, and private companies.
Despite calls from the United Nations and governments for their release, the Houthis continue to detain these people without charge and, in most cases, without adequate access to lawyers or family members.
The Houthis who control Yemen’s capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, launched this arrest campaign on May 31. The Houthis raided detainees’ homes and offices in Sanaa, Yemen’s largest city, and other northern governorates without presenting arrest or search warrants. While at least two individuals have been released, those remaining in detention have mostly been denied access to legal representation, family visits, and other essential rights. A former employee of Save the Children and two former Education Ministry officials have died in Houthi detention since the fall of 2023.
Yemenis are already living in “one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world,” according to the UN: a crisis that requires increased funding and greater collaboration between national and international actors to deliver essential aid, including food, water, and medical supplies. Currently, “24.1 million people – 80 per cent of the population, in need of humanitarian aid and protection,” according to the UN.
The detentions are worsening the situation.
For example, on November 26, the Swedish government decided to “phase out” its development assistance to Yemen. Benjamin Dousa, the minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, said that this decision was made “against the background of the Houthis’ increasingly destructive actions in the northern parts of the country, including the kidnappings of UN personnel.”
The Houthis should release all UN and civil society staff, lift restrictions on humanitarian aid, and engage in productive dialogue and collaboration with humanitarian actors to address the country’s multiple crises, while also fulfilling the people’s economic rights. They should also end all arbitrary detentions. Some of the detainees have died.
Although the UN has repeatedly called for the release of its detained staff and civil society workers, both the UN and the international community should strengthen their demands on the Houthis to release the detainees, and better coordinate their efforts in this shared goal. UN agencies should also redouble efforts to protect and support their remaining staff in Yemen.
