UN worker dies in Yemeni prison after being detained by Houthis

This was reported by AR, Ukrinform reports.

The statement did not give a cause of death. The man was one of seven WFP staff members detained by the Houthis on January 23.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the deaths “a terrible tragedy.” He said the UN urgently demanded an explanation from the Houthis and called for an immediate, transparent and thorough investigation and “holding those responsible accountable.”

The announcement came on Tuesday, February 11, a day after the UN suspended its operations in Saada, northern Yemen. The statement said the decision was made due to the lack of necessary conditions and security guarantees following the detention of dozens of people in recent months. It called on the Houthis to release all detained UN staff.

The Houthis have detained dozens of UN staff, as well as people associated with humanitarian organizations, civil society and the once-open US embassy in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, on charges of espionage. Rights groups say the charges are baseless. So far, none of the UN staff have been released.

According to the UN humanitarian agency, seven UN agencies, including the WFP, WHO and UNICEF, as well as several international humanitarian organizations, are working in Saada. The UN predicts that more than 19 million people across Yemen will need humanitarian assistance this year, many of them suffering from climate shocks, malnutrition, cholera and the economic consequences of the war.