UN Activities Suspended in Areas Controlled by Yemeni Houthis

The United Nations announced that it is suspending its activities in Saada province in Yemen following the detention of more of its employees by the Houthis. The UN Secretary-General has instructed the agencies and programs affiliated with the organization to suspend humanitarian activities in Houthi-controlled areas, including Saada, in the absence of security and necessary guarantees for the work of employees. The UN emphasized its commitment to assist millions of needy people across Yemen, but stated that the necessary conditions for providing this support and fulfilling the duties of UN staff and its partners must be ensured in a safe environment. Farhan Haq, the Deputy Spokesperson for the UN, said on Monday that this temporary measure provides an opportunity to work towards the release of the UN employees who have been arbitrarily detained. According to Mr. Haq, obtaining guarantees for the safety of employees is ultimately to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the UN's efforts in assisting the people of Yemen. The Houthis, allied with the Islamic Republic of Iran, have controlled Sana'a, Saada, and other parts of Yemen for the past 11 years and have detained dozens of UN employees since 2021. The number of detained UN employees in Yemen has reached 24, with 8 of them recently detained, 6 of whom were UN employees in Saada. This province is one of the main centers for UN humanitarian activities and other global humanitarian organizations. It is unclear how the suspension of humanitarian activities by UN agencies will affect the lives of people in Houthi-controlled areas, but a large majority of the Yemeni population relies on the organization's assistance for survival. The humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which has experienced a long period of war over the past decade, is classified as one of the most severe conditions in the world, with an estimated 17 million people expected to need food assistance this year. The detention of UN employees in Yemen has been carried out by the military branch of the Houthis, known as Ansar Allah. Previous requests by Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, for the release of these aid workers and employees have gone unanswered by the Houthis. Recently, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, placed the Houthis back on the list of foreign terrorist organizations following their resurgence. The Biden administration had removed Ansar Allah from the US terrorist list four years ago to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the people of Yemen. In the past 16 months, the Houthis have attacked ships in the Red Sea and regional waterways and launched long-range missiles and drones towards Israel in support of the extremist group Hamas, which is also recognized as a terrorist organization by the US.