On Wednesday, October 22, 2025, a dozen international United Nations staffers were flown out of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, after being held by Houthi authorities in a dramatic escalation of the group’s ongoing crackdown against UN and humanitarian organizations. The release, confirmed by multiple UN sources and international news agencies, marked a partial breakthrough in a tense standoff that has left more than 50 UN personnel and numerous other aid workers still detained by the Houthis, the Iran-backed group that controls much of northern Yemen.
The 12 released staffers departed Sanaa aboard a UN Humanitarian Air Service flight, with several reportedly relocating to Jordan to continue their work. Three additional international staff members, who had also been detained, were granted the freedom to move or travel within the UN compound. However, the relief was tempered by the grim reality that 53 UN colleagues remain in Houthi custody, along with other non-governmental and civil society workers from various diplomatic missions. According to a statement from the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “The UN, at all levels, continues to be seized with the matter and is in constant contact with the relevant authorities in Sana’a and with concerned Member States and partners to secure their release. We renew the Secretary-General’s call for their immediate and unconditional release.”
The latest detentions were the result of a weekend raid by Houthi forces on the UN compound in Sanaa, during which 20 staff members—including 15 foreign nationals—were taken into custody. Five Yemeni nationals were released on Sunday, October 19, 2025, but the majority of international staff remained in detention until Wednesday’s partial release. The Houthis confiscated all communications equipment from the facility, including phones, laptops, servers, and computers, leaving staffers isolated from the outside world. The personnel affected belonged to several key UN agencies, including the World Food Program, UNICEF, and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
This isn’t the first time the Houthis have targeted international organizations. On August 31, 2025, Houthi forces stormed UN offices in Sanaa and detained 19 employees, later releasing the deputy director of the UNICEF office in Yemen. The rebels have a long history of harassing, detaining, and accusing aid workers and UN staff of espionage—claims that the UN and other international bodies have consistently denied. In fact, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi recently accused UN personnel of collaborating with Israel in August airstrikes in Sanaa that killed several senior Houthi officials, including the group’s chief of staff, Mohammed al-Gumari. No evidence was provided to support these allegations, and the UN has firmly rejected them.
The context for these accusations is a region already wracked by conflict and suspicion. Since seizing Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014, the Houthis have become a central player in a proxy struggle involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, and, increasingly, Western powers. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government, but the conflict has since become deeply entrenched. The situation has only grown more volatile since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. In solidarity with Palestinians, the Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, damaging dozens of ships and sinking four. These actions have triggered expanded naval patrols and periodic airstrikes by a US-led coalition aiming to protect critical maritime routes.
Within this charged environment, the detentions of UN staff have taken on heightened significance. According to The Media Line, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi’s accusations against detained UN employees followed Israeli airstrikes in August 2025 that killed the Houthi premier and nearly half of his cabinet. The rebel leader claimed, again without evidence, that UN staff played a role in facilitating the strikes. The UN, maintaining its longstanding position, has denied any involvement and called the detentions arbitrary and without legal basis. A senior Houthi official told AFP that the UN staff were suspected of spying for the United States and Israel, but these assertions have not been substantiated.
Among those detained was Peter Hawkins, UNICEF’s representative in Yemen, according to UN and Houthi sources cited by AFP. The targeting of such high-profile humanitarian figures has sent shockwaves through the international aid community, raising fears for the safety of those still in Houthi custody and casting a shadow over humanitarian operations in Yemen. The UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Yemen was transferred from Sanaa to Aden—the interim capital of the internationally recognized government—in mid-September 2025, a move widely seen as a response to the deteriorating security situation in Houthi-held areas.
The ongoing detentions have strained relations between the Houthis and the international community. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reportedly been in direct contact with the foreign ministers and leaders of Iran, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, seeking their assistance in securing the release of detained staffers. The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, underscored the urgency of the situation in a statement, warning that the continued detention of 53 colleagues was “arbitrary” and reiterating the call for their “immediate and unconditional release.”
For the Houthis, the detentions appear to be part of a broader strategy to assert control and send a message to both domestic and international audiences. Since the start of the Gaza war, the group has accelerated its arrests of aid workers and UN staff, often justifying their actions with unsubstantiated claims of espionage or foreign interference. These tactics, while not new, have become more pronounced in recent months, reflecting the group’s growing sense of embattlement as it faces military pressure from both regional and international coalitions.
The impact on humanitarian operations in Yemen has been profound. Aid agencies have warned that the targeting of their staff undermines efforts to deliver life-saving assistance to millions of Yemenis caught in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The confiscation of communications equipment and the detention of key personnel have disrupted coordination and delivery of aid, exacerbating an already dire situation. Yet, despite these challenges, the UN and its partners remain committed to their mission. As one UN official, speaking anonymously to AP, put it: “The UN, at all levels, continues to be seized with the matter and is in constant contact with the relevant authorities in Sana’a and with concerned Member States and partners to secure their release.”
As of now, the fate of the 53 detained UN staffers—and the broader humanitarian mission in Yemen—hangs in the balance. The partial release of a dozen international staff offers a glimmer of hope, but the road to a comprehensive resolution remains fraught with uncertainty. With diplomatic efforts ongoing and the region’s political landscape as volatile as ever, the eyes of the world remain fixed on Sanaa, waiting to see whether dialogue and pressure can secure the freedom of those still held and restore a measure of stability to humanitarian work in Yemen.