By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2024-08-27

ADEN -- The Houthis' recent storming of a United Nations (UN) office in Sanaa and their previous abduction of aid workers and civilian employees are reprehensible acts that increase suffering and prolong the war, officials said.

The Houthis seized control of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees office in Sanaa on August 3 and did not relinquish it for a full two weeks, sparking local and international condemnation.

"Entering a UN office without permission and seizing documents and property by force are completely inconsistent with the privileges and immunities granted to the United Nations," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.

Two months earlier, the Houthis carried out a wave of arrests targeting UN and NGO employees.

On August 19, World Humanitarian Day, the UN called again for the "immediate and unconditional release" of 13 of its staff and dozens of NGO and embassy employees still in the group's custody, AFP reported.

It condemned "unacceptable" levels of violence against humanitarian workers after a record 280 were killed worldwide in 2023 -- the deadliest year on record for the global humanitarian community.

"The normalization of violence against aid workers and the lack of accountability are unacceptable, unconscionable and enormously harmful for aid operations everywhere," UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs acting director Joyce Msuya said in a statement.

'A dangerous indicator'

In a statement on the US Embassy in Yemen's website, the US State Department warned the Houthis' actions "will further obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Yemenis who have endured crisis conditions for far too long."

Yemeni Deputy Minister of Human Rights Nabil Abdul Hafeez expressed concern about other humanitarian organizations operating out of Sanaa, and warned them against remaining there.

"The Houthis kidnapped more than 70 employees of international and local organizations, and this is a dangerous indicator," he told Al-Fassel.

"These actions exacerbate humanitarian suffering because they impede the work of relief organizations, make the humanitarian situation more tragic and prolong the war," he said.

Employees of international organizations based in Aden "move with ease" in government-controlled areas, "which serves the relief process and delivers aid to those in need," he said.

This stands in sharp contrast with the Houthis' attacks on aid organizations, which "come as part of a long series of violations and crimes against civilians," said Fahmi al-Zubairi, director general of the human rights office in Sanaa.

These include the "kidnapping, disappearance and torture of UN workers, and forced confessions under torture," he told Al-Fassel, adding that these violations "undermine peace efforts and compound people's suffering and pain."