UN Suspends Humanitarian Work in Houthi Stronghold in Saada after More Staff Abductions

The United Nations said Monday it has suspended its humanitarian operations in the stronghold of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militias after they detained eight more UN staffers, affecting the response to one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

In a statement, the UN said the “extraordinary” decision to pause all operations and programs in northern Saada province was due to lack of “necessary security conditions and guarantees.”

The militias in recent months have detained dozens of UN staffers, as well as individuals associated with aid groups, civil society and the once-open US Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital.

The UN statement said the pause in operations is meant to give the Houthis and the world body time to “arrange the release of arbitrarily detained UN personnel and ensure that the necessary conditions are in place to deliver critical humanitarian support” in Houthi-held areas.

It said the latest detained UN staffers included six working in Saada, on Yemen’s northern border, impacting the UN’s ability to operate.