Houthis Return UN Office They Seized in Sanaa

The Iran-backed Houthi group returned a UN office they had seized in Sanaa earlier this month after storming it and expelling its staff. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the immediate release of the organization’s detained employees.

A spokesperson for the United Nations mission in Yemen told “Asharq Al-Awsat” that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in the unrecognized Houthi government) in Sanaa handed over the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sanaa to Julian Harneis, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, on Monday, August 19th.

According to the UN spokesperson, the office was in its original condition, and an inventory process is currently underway. The spokesperson described this step as “encouraging” and renewed the UN’s call for the immediate release of UN staff and NGO workers detained arbitrarily.

The Houthi group had seized the UN Human Rights Office in Sanaa on August 3rd, sparking outrage within the international organization and among official and human rights circles in Yemen.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, previously stated, “The Ansar Allah forces (Houthis) must leave the premises immediately and return all seized movable and immovable property.” He added that “entering a UN office without permission and forcibly seizing documents and property is entirely inconsistent with the privileges and immunities granted to the UN.”

While the High Commissioner emphasized that this was a “serious violation of the UN’s ability to carry out its duties,” the Houthi move came about two months after a campaign of arrests targeted UN employees and NGO workers in areas under their control. The Houthis have habitually accused detained workers from UN agencies and international organizations of espionage.

Coinciding with the Houthi group’s return of the UN Human Rights Office in Sanaa, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed in a statement through his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, that he remains “deeply concerned” about the situation of UN employees, civil society members, and staff from national and international NGOs, as well as those from diplomatic missions and private sector entities, who have been arbitrarily detained by the Houthis for more than two months, demanding their immediate and unconditional release.

Guterres “strongly condemned” the Houthis’ forced entry into the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights office in Sanaa, emphasizing the need to respect the human rights of detainees fully and ensure they can communicate with their families and legal representatives.

According to the UN statement, the humanitarian and developmental situation in Yemen is extremely difficult, with over 18 million people suffering from the effects of food insecurity, epidemics, displacement, damaged infrastructure, and critical economic conditions.

Guterres reaffirmed in his statement that “the UN is tirelessly working to address the impact of the situation on the people of Yemen,” but stressed that “the safety of UN employees must be ensured.” He said, “The UN and its partners should never be targeted or have their employees arrested or detained while carrying out their duties.”