Houthis Disappear Dozens of UN, Civil Society Staff

The United Nations and human rights organizations have repeatedly pointed out that Yemenis are suffering under one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, which has already killed hundreds of thousands of people. And the country's humanitarian situation is likely to worsen in the near future.

Since May, the Houthis have been arresting an increasing number of international staff. Around 50 members of the UN, humanitarian organizations and civil society staff have been arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared, Human Rights Watch and the United Nations confirmed in October.

"The arbitrary detention of humanitarian personnel and the false accusations against them continue to significantly hinder our ability to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance in Yemen," said Msuya on October 15.

In October, several heads of UN entities and international nongovernmental organizations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO and Oxfam renewed their call for the "immediate release of their staff arbitrarily detained by the Houthi de facto authorities in Yemen." This came in response to the latest Houthi announcement that the detainees would face "criminal prosecution" in the near future.

However, there is no such thing as due process, fair trials, transparency and accountability in the judicial system that the Houthis have established, said Yemen observer Juneau.

The Houthis' escalation against locals as well as international aid workers could be explained by the fact that "the Houthis feel they need to further consolidate their power," said Juneau.

The financial situation in the areas they govern is anything but solid, the humanitarian situation is dire and the fact that the Houthis have not managed to gain control over the entire country make them feel vulnerable, he explained.

Around half of the 38.5 million population depends on humanitarian aid, hunger is on the rise and severe levels of food deprivation have doubled in Houthi-controlled areas since last year, Joyce Msuya, a senior official in the UN aid coordination office, said in October.