Iran-backed Houthi rebels raided the offices of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and UNICEF in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, detaining at least one UN employee, according to officials cited by The Associated Press. Abeer Etefa, a WFP spokesperson, confirmed that Houthi security forces stormed the agencies’ premises on Sunday morning, disrupting operations in a region already grappling with one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

A UN official and a Houthi official, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization, reported that UNICEF’s offices were also targeted, with communication lost with several WFP and UNICEF staff members, raising fears of additional detentions.

The raids mark a continuation of the Houthis’ crackdown on humanitarian workers, following the detention of dozens of UN and NGO staff since May 2024 on baseless espionage charges, as noted by Human Rights Watch. UNICEF spokesperson Ammar Ammar acknowledged an “ongoing situation” but provided no further details.

With over 19 million Yemenis relying on aid amidst a decade-long civil war, these actions threaten to exacerbate the humanitarian disaster, prompting urgent calls from UN Secretary-General António Guterres for the immediate release of all detained personnel.

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