Houthis break into the UNHCR Headquarters – Sana’a

Irada Organization Against Torture and Enforced Disappearance expresses its deep concern over Houthis terrorist militia’s break-in the headquarters of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), located on Algeria Street in the capital, Sana’a.During the raid, the militia detained three UNHCR staff members for several hours, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law and international conventions that guarantee full immunity for UN and international humanitarian organization offices and personnel operating in Yemen.

Militia’s members also tampered with the contents of the premises and seized sensitive assets and documents belonging to the UNHCR, including its database of beneficiaries of refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) programs,which constitutes a grave breach of information confidentiality and beneficiary privacy and a clear violation of international standards concerning the protection of humanitarian data.

The raid resulted in the temporary suspension of UNHCR operations and a halt in official communications between the main office and field branches, warning of serious humanitarian repercussions, most notably, the disruption of emergency support and rapid assistance programs relied upon by thousands of affected and displaced families.Irada Organization strongly condemns this serious assault on a UN institution operating within the humanitarian framework, affirming that Houthi militia’s actions represent a flagrant violation of relevant international conventions and treaties, particularly the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) and the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel (1994).

The Organization calls on both the United Nations and the international community to take urgent and decisive measures to ensure full respect for the immunity of UN premises and personnel and to hold those responsible for such violations accountable in accordance with the principles of international humanitarian law, thereby preventing the recurrence of such acts in the future.

Irada Organization also renews its call on the United Nations, its agencies operating in Yemen and all international organizations to relocate their offices and staff to the interim capital Aden or to other liberated and more secure governorates, away from Houthi-controlled areas, in order to safeguard humanitarian workers and ensure the continuity of humanitarian operations free from threats or coercion.Furthermore, Irada confirms that it has formally recommended to UN officials in Geneva the urgent relocation of all UN offices from Sana’a before Houthis terrorist militia commits further violations against humanitarian workers and organization staff.

Issued by:Irada Organization Against Torture and Enforced DisappearanceMon, Oct 27, 2025Republic of Yemen