U.S. Condemns ‘Houthi-Led Violence in Yemen’

There are 21 UN agencies working in Yemen, as well as other foreign-backed humanitarian groups, and the Houthis have put all that at risk.

Tribesmen loyal to Houthi rebels hold their weapons. (Photo: AP)
Tribesmen loyal to Houthi rebels hold their weapons. (Photo: AP)

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – On Friday, a UN spokesman confirmed that 11 of its staffers had been detained by the Houthis in Yemen, and there are reports that a significant number of other Yemenis working for U.S. and UN-funded organizations have also been detained.

Asked for comment, the State Department strongly denounced the Houthis’ actions.

“The United States reiterates its condemnation of the Houthi-led violence in Yemen that continues to affect innocent civilians and humanitarian workers,” a State Department Spokesperson told Kurdistan 24.

The Houthis’ detentions are all the more remarkable, because Yemen is a desperately poor country. It is in need of all the international support it can get.

Houthi Actions Hurt Yemenis, Egyptians—Not Israelis

Since November, a month after Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza, now entering its ninth month, the Houthis have been attacking international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis are backed by Iran, and their weapons come from Iran. 

Read More: U.S. Intelligence: Iran Supplying Houthis with Missiles, Drones

The Houthis claim that their attacks support the Palestinians in their war with Israel in Gaza—although the Houthis’ attacks have very little impact on that war.  Indeed, the biggest victims of their aggression are Yemenis, as well as the people of another Arab country—Egypt.

Yemen “has long been one of the poorest countries in the Middle East and North Africa,” according to the World Bank. Currently, it “is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises,” the Bank said. 

Yemen’s civil war, which started in 2014, two years after the overthrow of long-time dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh in the so-called Arab Spring, “has inflicted massive economic and social costs on the country and its people,” it added.

For its part, Egypt is heavily dependent on tolls from the ships that transit the Suez Canal, as they travel between Europe and Asia.

In February, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said that Suez Canal revenues had decreased by nearly half—“40 to 50 percent”—since the start of the year, because of the Houthi attacks.

Rather than transit through waters in which the Houthis can attack their vessels, international shipping companies are taking the much longer, but safer, route around Africa.

Yet “the canal is one of the main sources of foreign currency for Egypt which is gripped by a severe financial crisis,” the Voice of America explained–hence the harm that the Houthis are inflicting on Egypt.

Read More: Houthis Falsely Claim Joint Attack on Israel with Iraq Militias—even as Houthi Attacks on Ships Intensify, Hurting Egypt

How Extensive Are the Arrests in Yemen?

Stephane Dujarric, a U. N. spokesperson, confirmed the detentions of UN staff on Friday. Those detained include nine men and two women. 

As Dujarric told journalists, “We are very concerned about these developments, and we’re actively seeking clarification from the Houthi de facto authorities regarding the circumstances of these detentions and most importantly, to ensure the immediate access to those UN personnel.”

“We’re pursuing all available channels to secure the safe and unconditional release of all of them as rapidly as possible,” he added. 

There are 21 UN agencies working in Yemen, as well as other humanitarian groups supported by foreign funds. 

The Houthis have put all that at risk by arresting UN personnel, and there may well be others whom they have detained.

Yemen has two governments, reflecting the ongoing civil war. The internationally-recognized government is based in the southern port city of Aden. The Houthis, for their part, control Sana’a and the northwest of the country.

As the BBC explained, reports from Yemeni officials in Aden describe significantly more detentions.

“The Mayyun Organization for Human Rights said Houthi intelligence officers targeted 18 aid workers from several groups” in the Yemeni cities of “Amran, Hudaydah, Saada and Sana’a,” the BBC said.

The Saudi-owned Arab News reported even more detentions. Quoting the Human Rights Minister of the Aden-based government, Ahmed Arman, it stated that the Houthis “had kidnapped around 50 Yemeni personnel from various UN agencies, the U.S. embassy, U.S.-funded NGOs and other foreign organizations in Sanaa after storming their residences.”

A joint statement by Yemeni human rights organizations said that “Houthi intelligence and security services had conducted simultaneous raids on the homes of Yemenis working for the UN and other international organizations in Sanaa, Hodeidah, Saada, and Amran, abducting them and taking their mobile phones and laptops.”

U.S. Denunciation of Houthi Arrests

The State Department appeared to confirm the reports out of Aden that the Houthis’ detentions extended far beyond Sanaa.

“We are tracking with serious concern reports of Houthi detentions across northern Yemen, and are in close communication with the UN on addressing the situation,” a State Department Spokesperson told Kurdistan 24.

“The United States reiterates its condemnation of the Houthi-led violence in Yemen that continues to affect innocent civilians and humanitarian workers,” the Spokesperson added.

“We respect and appreciate the daily risks and sacrifices made by personnel supporting the 21 resident and non-resident UN agencies in Yemen,” the Spokesperson continued. “Their work facilitates critical humanitarian and development assistance for the Yemeni people.”