Houthis detain 10 more Yemeni UN staffers

Yemen’s Houthis on Thursday detained 10 United Nations local staffers, the world body said, in the latest raid on its employees, targeted by the Iran-backed militia for years.

The Houthis have harassed and detained dozens of UN staff and aid workers in the past years, accusing them of spying for the United States and Israel – charges that carry the death penalty in Yemen, and that the UN has sharply rejected.

The militia has stepped up such arrests since the start of the Gaza war more than two years ago, and more recently, after Israeli strikes wiped out nearly half of the Houthi government including the prime minister in August.

“We can confirm the arbitrary detention today of 10 UN staff members by the Houthi de facto authorities in Sanaa, bringing the total number of UN detainees to 69,” said Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The UN confirmed the staff were all Yemenis.

The latest arrests came days after Guterres discussed detained UN, diplomatic and NGO staff with the Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman, which has served as a mediator in neighboring Yemen’s conflict.

Last week, Guterres said some of the arrested employees had been transferred to a special Houthi court, urging the militia to go back on its decision and to release them.

The Houthis have used their judicial system to target NGOs, journalists and opponents.

Last month, a Houthi court sentenced 17 people to death by firing squad on charges of spying for foreign powers, according to Houthi media.

In mid-September, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen was transferred from Sanaa to Aden, the seat of the internationally-recognized Yemeni government.

Ten years of civil war have plunged Yemen into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to the UN.