Sana’a: The United Nations announced that at least 19 of its employees were detained by the Houthis during raids targeting its offices in Sana’a. UN Spokesman St©phane Dujarric said that 18 of the detainees are Yemeni employees, while one is an international staff member, calling for their immediate release.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the raids targeted the offices of food, health, and children’s agencies in Sana’a, and Dujarric called on the Houthis to immediately release all employees. Dujarric said that the Houthis had previously detained 23 UN staff members, some of whom have remained in detention since 2021.

He added that the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, visited the Omani capital, Muscat, and met with the Houthis’ chief negotiator, Mohammed Abdulsalam. Dujarric noted that the envoy reiterated the UN’s strong condemnation of the detentions and forced entry into its offices, warning that these actions seriously jeopardize the international organization’s ability to deliver aid to the Yemeni people, the poorest in the Arab world.