The Houthi group in Yemen has detained seven additional UN aid workers in the capital Sanaa, taking them from their homes, according to local reports. Four workers were reportedly arrested yesterday and three the previous day.
The move comes just days after 12 UN international staff members were released and flown out of Sanaa following mediation by Iran and Oman.
Despite the recent releases, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg stated that 53 UN personnel remain arbitrarily detained, along with other aid workers and diplomatic staff.
The latest arrests followed a televised speech by Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi, who accused UN workers of espionage and links to Israeli airstrikes.
The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, sparking a prolonged civil war that has left millions of Yemenis reliant on humanitarian assistance.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels intensified their crackdown against the United Nations in Yemen on Saturday, detaining two additional workers, U.N. officials said.
Houthi security forces detained the two female workers of the World Food Program from their homes in the capital, Sanaa, the officials said. Their whereabouts remained unknown, they said.
One of the two women was in critical condition after she gave premature birth and her baby died earlier this month, one of the officials said.
The woman is a sister of another worker with the U.N. food agency who was briefly detained earlier this month, the official said.
The woman’s brother, who suffers from kidney failure, was released by the rebels due to his deteriorating health condition, the officials said.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media.
Saturday’s detentions were the latest in a series of events now forcing the world body to reassess how it operates in the war-torn country. The Houthis detained two others and raided the homes of several U.N. staffers on Thursday and Friday.
The Houthis have repeatedly raided U.N. offices and earlier this month they seized assets, including communications equipment. They detained over two dozen U.N. workers before allowing 12 international workers to leave Yemen on Wednesday, according to the U.N.
At least 55 U.N. staff members are currently detained by the Houthis, as well as many workers with other non-government and civil society personnel from various diplomatic missions.
The crackdown has forced the U.N. to suspend its operations in Saada province in northern Yemen following the detention of eight staffers in January.
The U.N. also relocated its top humanitarian coordinator in Yemen from Sanaa to the coastal city of Aden, which serves as seat for the internationally recognized government.
The rebels have repeatedly alleged without providing evidence that the detained U.N. staffers and those working with other international groups and foreign embassies were spies. The U.N. fiercely denied the accusations.