On Sunday, the World Food Programme reported that one of its staff members was detained by Houthi officials in Sana’a, as part of a broader crackdown that escalated following the announcement of the killing of the Houthi government’s leader and several ministers in an Israeli strike on Thursday.
This confirmation from Israel sparked outrage among the Yemeni rebel leadership, which vowed to intensify its attacks on Israel in support of Gaza, promising a “steady and escalating” campaign.
The Houthis are set to hold a funeral in Sana’a on Monday for their Prime Minister, Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi, and several of his ministers who were killed during an Israeli airstrike while attending a meeting on Thursday.
The World Food Programme stated in a release: “Local security forces raided the World Food Programme offices in Sana’a and detained one of our employees, with reports of further arrests (of program staff) in other locations.”
The UN agency emphasized that “the arbitrary detention of humanitarian aid workers is unacceptable, as the safety and security of our staff are vital for carrying out life-saving humanitarian efforts.”
A Houthi security source confirmed that seven World Food Programme staff and three UNICEF employees were arrested following raids on the offices of the two agencies.
The Houthis have been holding dozens of UN staff and local and international humanitarian organization employees for over a year, on suspicion of espionage.
In June, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reported that the Houthis had conducted a series of raids in their controlled areas, leading to the detention of 13 UN personnel and at least 50 staff from local and international humanitarian organizations.
The Houthis justified the June arrests by claiming to have uncovered a “U.S.-Israeli espionage network” operating under the guise of humanitarian organizations, accusations that the United Nations vigorously rejected.
Last June, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the immediate release of detained UN personnel and all those held “arbitrarily,” but to no avail.