Houthi militants in Yemen have taken another 20 United Nations staff members hostage. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
This was announced by Jan Alam, the UN's permanent coordinator in Yemen. According to the information, the staff were captured at a UN facility in the southwestern part of the capital city, Sanaa.
One day earlier, the Houthis also raided another UN office in a different district of the city. According to Jan Alam, among those taken hostage are five Yemenis and 15 foreign specialists.
On the same day, 11 staff members were released after interrogation, while the fate of the others remains unknown. He emphasized that he is in constant communication with the Houthis and other parties to secure the release of all staff and to restore full control over the facilities in Sanaa.
According to an anonymous UN official, during the attack, the facility's phones, servers, and computers were confiscated. Among those taken hostage are employees of the World Food Programme, the United Nations Children's Fund, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
In recent months, the security situation in Yemen has deteriorated, increasing the risks for international organization staff. Such actions by the Houthis have been strongly condemned by the international community.
UN representatives are currently continuing negotiations to ensure the safety of all hostages and to guarantee compliance with international humanitarian laws.
