UN Security Council demands release of staff detained by Yemen's Houthis

Council denounces forced entry into UN premises and seizure of property, calling the actions clear violations of international law

A UN vehicle drives past Houthi troopers in the Red Sea city of Hodeidah. EPA

The UN Security Council on Friday demanded the immediate and unconditional release of UN staff members detained by Yemen’s Houthis, warning that the escalating crackdown risks worsening the country’s humanitarian crisis.

In a formal statement, the 15-member Council strongly condemned the detentions of at least 21 UN staff members since August 31. It also denounced the forced entry into UN premises, including offices of the World Food Programme and the UN children's fund, and the seizure of UN property, calling the actions clear violations of international law.

The Council reiterated that all threats to humanitarian workers are unacceptable and said the safety and security of UN personnel and the inviolability of its premises must be guaranteed at all times.

UN Secretary General spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said that a total of 44 UN national staff members are currently being held by Yemen’s Houthi militants, alongside an unspecified number of personnel from national and international non-governmental organizations, civil society groups and diplomatic missions.

Of the 44 UN employees detained, 21 were seized between Aug. 30 and Sept. 11, 2025, Mr Dujarric said.

He added that the UNICEF Deputy Resident Representative, an international staff member, was also detained from September 1 to 11 before being released.

The council also urged the Houthis to ensure a safe and secure operating environment and allow the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance in areas under their control.

Forces belonging to the Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have detained dozens of UN and civil society employees since last year. Some previous arrests led to the suspension of UN humanitarian operations in the country.

The detentions began three days after the Houthis’ prime minister, Ahmed Al Rahawi, was killed along with several government ministers in Israeli strikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. On Friday the Houthi rebels' caretaker prime minister vowed to carry on fighting Israel.

The group has been fighting Yemen’s internationally recognised government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, since 2014, when they seized Sanaa and much of the north of the country. Hopes for renewed peace talks collapsed after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza.

Since then, the Houthis have launched attacks on Red Sea shipping in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians, prompting retaliatory strikes by the US and Israel in Yemen.