The United Nations (UN) and leading aid organizations have renewed urgent calls for the immediate and unconditional release of humanitarian workers detained by Houthi authorities in northern Yemen.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), this week marks one year since dozens of staff from the UN, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, and diplomatic missions were arbitrarily arrested — with some held since as far back as 2021.
Currently, 23 UN and five NGO personnel remain in detention. Tragically, two humanitarian workers — one from the UN and another from Save the Children — have died while in custody. Others have been denied basic rights, including the chance to attend the funerals of loved ones.
“Nothing can justify their ordeal. They were doing their jobs, helping people in desperate need: people without food, shelter, or adequate healthcare,” the statement reads.
“Yemen remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over 19 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, many of whom rely on it for survival.”
The continued detention of humanitarian staff threatens lifesaving operations and undermines international support for peacebuilding in the region.
Read Also: WHO, MPP partner with Nigeria’s Codix Bio to boost local production of rapid HIV tests
While a few detainees have been freed recently, signatories urge Houthi authorities to honor promises made, including those to the WHO chief during his December 2024 visit to Sana’a.
The joint statement warns that the prolonged detention of aid workers not only stalls humanitarian work but also chills international engagement with Yemen’s ongoing peace process.
“The UN and INGOs will continue to work through all possible channels to secure the safe and immediate release of those arbitrarily detained, ” the statement concludes.
