Yemeni government calls on the United Nations to exert maximum pressure on the Houthi militias to release the organizations’ employees

The statement urgently called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained colleagues, stressing the need to treat them in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights, including allowing them to communicate with their families, legal representatives and organizations.

UN and international agency officials also called for the protection of humanitarian workers, ensuring a safe humanitarian space for work, and access to the communities they serve.

“The humanitarian situation in Yemen is dire and getting worse, with more than 18 million people, including 14 million women and children, suffering from worsening crises such as food insecurity and malnutrition, epidemics, climate change, displacement, damaged infrastructure, and critical economic conditions,” they said.

Despite the enormous challenges – including insecurity, concerns about staff safety, declining funding and shrinking humanitarian space – they affirmed the commitment of the United Nations, international NGOs and national partners to continue providing much-needed humanitarian and development support to millions of Yemenis, “guided by the principles of humanitarian action and respect for Yemeni culture and customs.”

In the context, Ambassador Robert Wood, the US alternate representative for special political affairs, called for “the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees, including eleven US diplomatic personnel detained since 2021.”

Speaking before the UN Security Council, he said that “the Houthis not only continue to mistreat these detainees, but also seek to exploit them by issuing so-called ‘confession videos’, considering this ‘brazen’ propaganda to be appalling and must be condemned globally.”

Source: Yemen Youth Net + Agencies