Huthi rebels in Yemen are holding 20 United Nations staff members, including five local and 15 international employees, after storming the UN office in Sanaa on Saturday, according to UN officials. The organisation says it is urgently working with Yemeni authorities and international governments to secure their release and restore control of its facilities.
The UN confirmed that this raid was an “unauthorised entry” by Huthi security forces. While all staff inside the compound were initially declared safe, they were later detained. The situation has been described as serious and deeply concerning by UN spokesperson Jean Alam.
This incident adds to an alarming pattern. Since August 31, 2025, 21 UN staff and 23 workers from international NGOs have been detained in areas controlled by Huthi rebels. Rebel officials previously accused some detainees of spying for the United States and Israel, claims that the UN strongly denies.
UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called the accusations “dangerous and unacceptable,” urging an end to the arbitrary detention of a total of 53 UN personnel. His statement came after rebel leader Abdelmalek al-Huthi claimed on television that they had dismantled a “dangerous spy cell” linked to humanitarian groups like UNICEF and the World Food Programme.
Due to rising tensions, the UN had already moved its humanitarian coordinator from Sanaa to Aden in mid-September Aden being the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Yemen has endured over a decade of civil war, leaving the country devastated and trapped in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with millions depending on international aid.
