Houthis Arbitrary Arrests Escalation Against UN Staff
Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance strongly condemns the grave systematic violations committed by Houthis terrorist militia against United Nations employees and humanitarian workers in Sana’a, Yemen capital, intensified recently to include arbitrary arrest campaigns and raids on UN staff residences and offices, in flagrant breach of international humanitarian law and the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
On Saturday morning, armed Houthi elements accompanied by female security operatives known as “Zainabiyat” raided an apartment in Faj Attan neighborhood, Sana’a, where Yemeni UN staff member Hanan Ash-Shaibani, an employee in the Protocol and Services Section of the World Food Programme (WFP), resides.
According to private sources, Ash-Shaibani was taken to an undisclosed location, despite her critical health condition following a premature birth and the death of her newborn just days earlier. Information indicates that Ash-Shaibani had been suffering from severe psychological pressure and fear in recent weeks after arresting several of her colleagues in the same department, which led to a serious deterioration in her health.
In this regard, it is worth noting that Hanan Ash-Shaibani is the sister of UN employee Rabee’ Ash-Shaibani, whom Houthis militia released on Oct 11, after several days of detention because of his suffering from acute kidney failure.
As part of a systematic campaign targeting Yemeni UN staff, Houthis militia also arrested Nasreen Ash-Sharmani, an employee in the Travel and Services Section of the World Food Programme (WFP). According to information obtained by Irada Organization, the number of newly UN Yemeni employees detained since last Thursday has risen to 9, in addition to 54 previously detained staff members, they are:
1. Nasreen Ash-Sharmani – Travel &bServices Section, (WFP)
.2. Hanan Ash-Shaibani – Protocol & Services Section, (WFP).
3. Ayman Ash-Shawafi – Services Department (Transportation Section), WFP.
4. Ebrahim Al-Maqaleh – Services Department, WFP.
5. Ghazi Al-Eryani – Mechanic, Vehicle Management Section, WFP.
6. Mahmoud Obeid – Driver, WFP.
7. Najeeb Al-Daryoom – Monitoring & Evaluation Section, WFP.
8. Shuaib Abdullah – Services Department (Transportation Section), WFP.
9. Alaa Abdu – Information Technology (IT) Section, United Nations Compound (UNCAF).
In another serious development, on 25 October 2025, Houthis militia stormed the offices of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Hadda area, south of Sana’a, tampering with and seizing their contents, in a direct violation of the inviolability and immunity of UN premises.
Irada Organization considers that the United Nations’ decision to evacuate its international staff from Sana’a following their detention inside the UN compound was not merely a precautionary security measure, but rather a painful and discouraging message to Yemeni employees who continue to perform their duties under extremely dangerous conditions, without genuine guarantees or serious actions by the UN to protect them or demand the release of their detained colleagues.
The Organization received information that the United Nations has abandoned four of its Yemeni employees, while many of the detainees are facing show trials on fabricated charges related to what was called “Houthis’ national security,” amid a complete collapse of the justice system in Houthis-controlled areas.
Hence Irada Organization stresses the urgent need for the United Nations to fulfill its obligations toward its national staff working in high-risk environment and calls for the following measures:
1. Immediate reversal of all dismissal or termination decisions against detained employees, with restoration of their employment status and full payment of their entitlements.
2. Provision of legal, medical and psychological protection for all detained employees and their families.
3. An independent and urgent international investigation into all incidents of arrest and enforced disappearance targeting UN and humanitarian organization staff in Yemen.
4. Holding Houthis militia the full accountability for these violations and officially condemning them before the UN Security Council and other relevant international bodies, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
5. Calling on the United Nations, the Security Council and the international community to take firm and decisive action to impose strict sanctions on Houthis leadership and to ensure the protection of Yemeni humanitarian workers from any future assaults.
Irada Organization reaffirms that the release of all detained UN employees is not a negotiable matter, but a legal and moral obligation imposed by the Charter of the United Nations and the 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, which guarantees the safety and independence of humanitarian workers in the course of their duties.
Issued by:Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced DisappearanceMon, Oct 27, 2025Republic of Yemen
