Yemen.. The United Nations renews its demand for the Houthis to immediately release its kidnapped employees

The United Nations renewed its demand for the terrorist Houthi militia to immediately release UN employees and employees of international non-governmental organizations.

"Criminal charges" against colleagues arbitrarily detained without access in Yemen raise concerns about the safety and security of staff and threaten aid delivery, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Dujarric called on the Houthis to release the kidnapped employees "immediately."

On Saturday, the heads of UN agencies, international NGOs and the UN envoy to Yemen expressed their deep concern over the Houthi militias’ referral of a large number of arbitrarily abducted employees to the Criminal Prosecution in Sana’a.

“The potential ‘charges’ against our colleagues are unacceptable and add to the period of incommunicado detention they have already endured,” said a joint statement signed by the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and nine heads of the organisations.

The statement stressed that this decision raises serious concerns about the safety and security of our employees and their families, warning that it "will further hinder our ability to reach millions of people in Yemen who need humanitarian assistance and protection services, which will negatively affect their safety and situation."

The statement called on the Houthi militia authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all employees of United Nations agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions who are being arbitrarily detained, stressing the need to stop targeting humanitarian workers in Yemen.