In a deeply concerning move, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen detained twenty United Nations employees on Sunday, October 19, 2025. This incident follows a previous raid on another UN facility in the capital, Sanaa, just a day prior, according to a UN official.
Jean Alam, spokesperson for the UN resident coordinator in Yemen, confirmed to The Associated Press that the UN personnel were apprehended inside their facility located in Sanaa’s Hada neighborhood. Among those detained were five Yemeni nationals and fifteen international staff members. While eleven UN staffers were later released after questioning, the fate of the others remains uncertain.
The United Nations has initiated contact with Houthi authorities and other relevant parties, urgently seeking a resolution to this grave situation. Their primary objectives are to secure the immediate release of all detained personnel and regain full control over their facilities in Sanaa.
A second UN official, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter, revealed that the rebels confiscated all communication equipment from the raided facility, including phones, servers, and computers. The detained individuals represent various crucial UN agencies, such as the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
This latest incident is part of an ongoing and aggressive crackdown by the Houthis against the UN and other international organizations operating in rebel-held areas across Yemen, including Sanaa, the port city of Hodeida, and their northern stronghold in Saada province. Over fifty UN staffers have been detained in these actions, with one World Food Programme worker tragically dying in Houthi detention in Saada earlier this year.
The rebels have repeatedly leveled unsubstantiated allegations, claiming that detained UN and other international aid workers, as well as foreign embassy staff, are spies. The United Nations has vehemently denied these accusations. This escalating pressure compelled the UN to suspend its operations in Saada province in January and relocate its senior humanitarian coordinator from Sanaa to Aden, the interim seat of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.