UN office in Yemen stormed – dozens of employees taken away
Published: Tuesday, Aug 13th 2024, 14:30
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The Houthi in Yemen have stormed a United Nations office in the capital Sanaa.
The UN Human Rights Office in Geneva reported that 13 UN employees and more than 50 employees of aid organizations as well as an embassy employee were taken by the militia. Some were also taken from their homes far from the office.
The incidents occurred on August 6 and 7. Initially, silence was maintained in the hope of a quick solution to the situation, said a UN spokeswoman. Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, appealed to those in power to release the people immediately. They are being held without contact to the outside world.
The Houthi military-political movement, which is allied with Iran, initially declined to comment when asked. It controls the capital and large parts of the north.
The Houthis had already seized two employees of the UN Human Rights Office in November 2021 and August 2023. One of them was forced to admit to alleged intelligence activities, as seen in online videos, Türk reported. Such statements lacked any basis. He condemned this as a violation of human rights.
A devastating conflict between the government, the Houthi rebels and their allies has been raging in Yemen since the end of 2014. Saudi Arabia is supporting the government in the fight against the Houthis, who overran the country in 2014 and established themselves in the north.
The United Nations considers the conflict in Yemen to be a humanitarian catastrophe that has brought the country to the brink of famine.
©Keystone/SDA
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