The United Nations office in Yemen has confirmed that 20 of its staff members remain in detention after Houthi rebels raided its compound in Sanaa on Saturday.
On the day of the raid, the UN reported that Houthi security forces had made an “unauthorised entry” into the premises, assuring that all personnel were “safe and accounted for”. However, by Sunday, the situation had changed.
“Five national staff and 15 international staff remain detained within the compound,” said Jean Alam, spokesman for the UN resident coordinator in Yemen.
He added that the organisation is engaging with the authorities in Sanaa, relevant UN Member States, and the internationally recognised Government of Yemen “to resolve this serious situation swiftly, secure the release of all detained personnel, and restore full control over the UN facilities in Sanaa.”
This is not the first such incident. On 31 August, Houthi forces stormed other UN offices in the capital and detained more than 11 employees. At the time, a senior Houthi official told AFP anonymously that those arrested were accused of spying for the United States and Israel.
Arbitrary Detention
In a statement on Saturday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, reiterated the organisation’s demand for the immediate release of all detained staff.
“We will continue to call for an end to the arbitrary detention of 53 of our colleagues,” Dujarric said, responding to a televised address by rebel leader Abdelmalek al-Houthi. In that address, al-Houthi claimed his forces had uncovered “one of the most dangerous spy cells”, allegedly “linked to humanitarian organisations such as the World Food Programme and UNICEF.”
Dujarric condemned the allegations as “dangerous and unacceptable”.
Saturday’s raid came amid an ongoing crackdown by the Iranian-backed group, which has detained dozens of UN and aid personnel in recent months in areas under its control.
In mid-September, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen was relocated from Sanaa — the rebel-held capital — to Aden, the interim seat of the internationally recognised government.
Since 31 August 2025, the UN reports that 21 of its personnel have been detained, alongside 23 current and former members of international NGOs.
After a decade of civil war, Yemen — one of the poorest countries in the Arabian Peninsula — remains gripped by one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations.