UN envoy demands immediate release of detained UN staff in Yemen

ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg met Sunday with Houthi negotiating delegation head Mohammed Abdulsalam in Muscat, Oman, to address the ongoing detention of UN personnel in Sanaa.

Grundberg condemned the "arbitrary detention" of additional UN staff, along with those detained since 2021, 2023, and 2024 respectively, according to a statement released by the UN envoy's office on social media platform X.

He called for the immediate release of all detained UN staff, NGO personnel, civil society members, and diplomats, emphasizing the UN's commitment to a peaceful resolution in Yemen.

The UN on Friday announced the suspension of its official movements in Houthi-controlled areas after seven more UN staff were detained.

The Houthis have detained dozens of staff from the UN and other humanitarian organizations, mostly since mid-2023. The Houthis claimed they detained "key members of an American-Israeli spy network" linked to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, after detaining 13 UN staff members and more than 50 NGO staff in June 2024.

The UN has repeatedly called for the release of those detained, including during a December 2024 visit to Sanaa by World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who sought to negotiate their release.

The Houthis have controlled Sanaa and much of northern Yemen since late 2014, fighting forces loyal to the Yemeni government. The conflict has created what the UN calls one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. ■