CAIRO (AP) — Iran-backed Houthi rebels stepped up their crackdown on the United Nations in Yemen on Saturday, detaining two more workers, U.N. officials said.
Houthi security forces detained two World Food Program workers at their homes in the capital Sanaa, officials said. According to them, their whereabouts remain unknown.
One of the two women was in critical condition after giving birth prematurely and her baby died earlier this month, an official said. The woman is the sister of another U.N. food agency worker who was briefly detained earlier this month, the official said. The woman's brother, who suffers from kidney failure, was released by the rebels due to his deteriorating health, officials said.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Saturday's arrests were the latest in a series of events that are now forcing the world body to reconsider its activities in the war-torn country. The Houthis detained two more and raided the homes of several UN staff on Thursday and Friday.
The Houthis have repeatedly raided UN offices and earlier this month seized assets including communications equipment. They detained more than two dozen UN staff and then allowed 12 international workers to leave Yemen on Wednesday, according to the UN.
At least 55 UN staff are currently detained by the Houthis, as well as many staff from other non-governmental organizations and civil society representatives from various diplomatic missions.
The crackdown forced the UN to suspend its activities in Yemen's northern Saada province after eight staff were detained in January. The UN also moved its chief humanitarian coordinator for Yemen from Sanaa to the coastal city of Aden, which serves as the seat of the internationally recognized government.
The rebels have repeatedly said, without providing evidence, that detained UN employees and those working with other international groups and foreign embassies were spies. The UN has categorically denied the accusations.
