Yemen's Houthi rebels have forcibly taken control of the United Nations Human Rights Office headquarters in Sanaa, confiscating documents, furniture, and vehicles, a high-ranking UN official reported Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
This seizure marks the latest development in the Houthis' intensifying crackdown on personnel associated with the UN, aid organizations, and foreign diplomatic missions. The action comes as the Iranian-backed group continues to target shipping in the Red Sea, citing the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
"Ansar Allah forces must leave the premises and return all assets and belongings immediately," UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk demanded, using the Houthis' official designation.
The Houthis in Yemen have looted the headquarters of the UN Human Rights Office in the capital of Sana'a.
These are the people college kids are cheering on.
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) August 13, 2024
Following a June crackdown, the UN Human Rights Office suspended operations in Sanaa and other Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. However, it continues to function in regions under the internationally recognized government's authority.
The June campaign saw the Houthis detain over 60 individuals employed by the UN and other NGOs, including six Human Rights Office staff members. These detentions followed earlier arrests of two colleagues in November 2021 and August 2023.
Shortly after the arrests, the rebels claimed to have apprehended members of an alleged "American-Israeli spy network." They released what they presented as video confessions from 10 Yemenis, with several stating they had been recruited by the US Embassy in Yemen. The UN Human Rights Office reported that one of its detained staff members appeared in a video, forced to confess to allegations including espionage.
The Houthis have been embroiled in a civil war with Yemen's internationally recognized government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, since seizing control of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014. This conflict has resulted in over 150,000 casualties, including both combatants and civilians and has precipitated one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, with tens of thousands more deaths. Throughout the war, the rebels have incarcerated thousands. Recent months have seen an intensification of their domestic crackdown on dissent, including the recent sentencing of 44 individuals to death.
