The United Nations office in Yemen said on October 20 that Houthi forces were detaining 20 employees of the organization after raiding its headquarters in the capital Sanaa.
According to Jean Alam, among the arrested were five Yemenis and 15 international officials, who are still held in the building grounds. Mr. Alam affirmed that the United Nations is in contact with the authorities in Sanaa, relevant countries and the government of Yemen to find a solution to end this situation, while restoring control of its facilities.
A UN official said that UNICEF representative in Yemen, Mr. Peter Hawkins, was among the arrested. Two Houthi security sources also confirmed the news.
The incident comes as the Houthis raided UN offices in Sanaa in late August and arrested more than 11 staff on charges of spying for the US and Israel.
UN spokesman Antonio Guterres said Stephane Dujarric continues to call for an end to the arbitrary detention of its 53 staff.
He responded to a TV speech by Houthi leader Abdelmalek al-Huthi, who claimed to have dismantled one of the most dangerous spying nets, which is believed to be linked to humanitarian organizations such as the World Food Program (WFP) and UNICEF. Dujarric called the allegations dangerous and unacceptable.
