SANAA( The COW News Digital) Twelve international United Nations employees detained by Yemen’s Huthi rebels have been released and flown out of the capital, Sanaa, the UN confirmed Wednesday. The staff had been held inside a UN compound raided by the Iran-backed Huthis last weekend.
According to a statement from the office of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “Earlier today, 12 UN international staff who were amongst those previously held in the UN compound in Yemen departed Sanaa on a UN Humanitarian Air Service flight.”
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York that some of the released employees will relocate to Amman, Jordan, while others may eventually return to Yemen, depending on security conditions. Three additional UN personnel who remain in Sanaa are now “free to move or travel,” the spokesperson added.
The Huthis initially detained 20 UN employees, including 15 foreign nationals, accusing them of espionage. Five Yemeni nationals were released earlier this week. The rebel group has a long history of harassing and detaining aid workers and UN officials, but observers say such incidents have intensified since the start of the Gaza conflict.
Among those previously held was UNICEF’s representative in Yemen, Peter Hawkins. The UN has strongly rejected rebel claims that its employees were involved in intelligence activities or military coordination.
The detentions followed a series of Huthi attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes and Israeli territory, which the group says are acts of solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza. Israel has carried out multiple retaliatory airstrikes on Huthi targets in Yemen, including a major strike in August that killed the group’s prime minister and several cabinet members.
In the aftermath of that attack, Huthi leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi accused UN personnel of aiding the strike, though no evidence was provided. The UN has condemned the allegations as baseless and a violation of international law protecting humanitarian workers.
The United Nations estimates that 53 of its staff members remain arbitrarily detained by Huthi authorities across Yemen. The international organization has demanded their immediate and unconditional release.
In September, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen was transferred from Sanaa to Aden, reflecting growing insecurity in rebel-held territories.
