CAIRO (AP) — Iran-backed Houthi rebels raided a U.N. site in Yemen's capital Sanaa on Saturday, a U.N. official said, but all personnel were reported to be safe.
Jean Alam, a spokesman for the UN Resident Coordinator in Yemen, said Houthi security forces had entered the UN compound in Sanaa. He told The Associated Press that 15 international U.N. staff were at the site at the time of the raid, and that “according to the latest information, all employees at the compound are safe, accounted for and have contacted their families.”
According to the UN, rebels raided the UN office in Sanaa on August 31 and detained 19 staff. They later released the deputy director of UNICEF's country office but are still holding more than 50 people, including many associated with aid groups, civil society and the now-closed US embassy in Sanaa.
“The United Nations is taking all necessary measures and is in contact with relevant authorities and partners to ensure the safety of all personnel and assets,” Alam said.
Another U.N. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the raid, said the building was run by the U.N. The staff belongs to several U.N. agencies, including the World Food Program, UNICEF and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the official said.
Saturday's raid was the latest in a long campaign by the Houthis against the UN and other international organizations operating in rebel-held areas of Yemen. The crackdown forced the UN to suspend its activities in the Houthi stronghold of Saada province in northern Yemen after the detention of eight staff 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.
Yemen plunged into civil war in 2014 when the Houthis captured Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee the country.
The following year, a Saudi-led coalition that included the United Arab Emirates intervened in an attempt to restore the government. The war has stalled in recent years and the rebels reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia in which they stopped attacks on the kingdom in exchange for a halt to Saudi-led strikes on their territories.
