Washington and London strongly condemn the Houthi takeover of the UN Human Rights Office in Sana'a

The United States and the United Kingdom on Thursday condemned in the strongest terms the storming of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the capital, Sana'a, by Houthi militias.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the Houthi takeover of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sana'a," said US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel, as reported by the US Embassy in Yemen.

The statement said that "the Houthis' storming and seizure of the High Commissioner's office in Sana'a violates international norms," considering that the Houthis "do not respect the most basic international practices."

The statement warned that "these actions will further hinder the delivery of aid to Yemeni civilians who have been suffering from crisis conditions for a long time."

He pointed out that the United States continues to "support the peace negotiated in Yemen under the auspices of the United Nations, and strongly supports the work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and other agencies and organizations that provide relief to the Yemeni people."

The statement concluded: "A permanent solution to the Yemeni conflict cannot be reached as long as the Houthis insist on attacking international ships and threatening their neighbors and the Yemeni people."

For his part, British Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Hamish Falconer, said, "Britain strongly condemns the horrific Houthi storming of the UN Human Rights Office in Sana'a."

“We call on the Houthis to allow the United Nations and all NGOs to continue their vital work for the Yemeni people and to release all detained staff immediately,” Falconer added via the X platform.

The UK strongly condemns the Houthis' storming of @UNHumanRights office in Sanaa.

We call on the Houthis to allow the UN and all NGOs to continue their critical work for the Yemeni people and to release all detained staff immediately. https://t.co/ECvbw38EXJ

— Hamish Falconer MP (@HFalconerMP) August 15, 2024

On Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk announced that “the de facto authorities of the Houthi group stormed the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sana’a last week, and forced employees to hand over documents, furniture, vehicles and office keys.”

He stressed in a statement that "entering a United Nations office without permission and forcibly seizing documents and property are in complete contravention of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations."