Yemeni Houthis raided a United Nations facility in Yemen‘s capital of Sanaa on Saturday, but the staff there have been reported to be safe.
A spokesman for the U.N. resident coordinator for Yemen, Jean Alam, confirmed to the Associated Press that the Houthis entered the facility. 15 U.N. staff members were there at the time, but all are “safe and accounted for and have contacted their families.”
The rebels previously raided the U.N. offices there in August, detaining nearly two dozen employees. They have released the deputy director of the UNICEF office in Yemen, but still hold more than 50 people.
“The United Nations is taking all necessary measures and is in contact with the relevant authorities and counterparts to ensure the safety and security of all personnel and property,” Alam said.
The Yemeni Civil War, which began in 2014, has complicated the U.N.’s mission in the country, and the Houthis have detained people from aid groups, civil society, and the since-closed U.S. Embassy in Sanaa.
An anonymous U.N. official told the Associated Press that the building is run by the U.N. and contained employees from U.N. programs like World Food Program, UNICEF, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the accusations by Yemeni Houthis against U.N. employees on Friday as “dangerous and unacceptable.”
The Houthis previously alleged that the U.N. employees detained in August were spies.
TOP HOUTHI MILITARY LEADER KILLED IN YEMEN BY ‘ISRAELI-AMERICAN’ AIRSTRIKE
“The Secretary-General is gravely concerned by the continued public accusations made by the Houthis, including on 16 October by their leadership, against United Nations personnel in Yemen. He categorically rejects all such accusations,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Guterres “stands in solidarity with UN personnel in Yemen and the world over – accusations such as these are dangerous and unacceptable,” the statement said, adding that “they seriously jeopardize the safety of UN personnel and humanitarian workers and undermine life-saving operations.”
