Houthis arrest seven more UN aid workers in Yemen's capital
Yemen’s Houthi group has detained seven additional UN aid workers in the capital, Sanaa, taking them from their homes, according to a source, News.Az reports, citing Xinhua.
“Four of them were detained tonight, while the rest were arrested yesterday,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
The arrests come just days after 12 UN international staff were released and flown out of Sanaa following mediation by Iran and Oman, both of which maintain relations with the Houthis, according to multiple sources.
UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg confirmed the release on Wednesday but said that 53 UN personnel remain in arbitrary detention, along with numerous aid workers and staff from NGOs and diplomatic missions.
The latest detentions follow a televised address by Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi, who accused UN staff of spying for Israel and assisting in Israeli airstrikes in August that killed 12 senior Houthi officials.
The Houthis have controlled Sanaa and several northwestern provinces since 2014, a takeover that plunged Yemen into a protracted civil war and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving millions dependent on international assistance.
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