NEW YORK CITY: The UN Security Council on Friday strongly condemned the death of Ahmed, a World Food Programme employee, who died in Houthi captivity on Feb. 10.
Council members also denounced the ongoing detention of UN staff, as well as workers from national and international nongovernmental organizations, civil society groups, and diplomatic missions.
They demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees held by the Houthis and reiterated that threats against workers delivering humanitarian aid are unacceptable.
The detention of aid workers by the Houthis prompted the UN on Monday to temporarily suspend all operations and programs in Yemen’s Saada governorate, where six people were recently detained.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the decision was a response to the ongoing detention of UN staff by the Houthis, which has compromised the “necessary security conditions and guarantees” for the continuation of UN operations in the area.
It comes as the humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate, with an estimated 19.5 million people in the war-ravaged country requiring humanitarian assistance and protection services, an increase of 1.3 million people compared with 2024.
During a Security Council meeting this week, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said that 17.1 million people in Yemen, 49 percent of the population, suffer from food insecurity and nearly as many do not have access to enough water for their basic daily needs.
Council members expressed deep concern over the rapid and severe deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen. They highlighted the critical need for humanitarian personnel, including UN staff, to be granted unimpeded access so that they can provide life-saving aid for civilians in need.
They also expressed alarm at the growing risks to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and called on the Houthis to uphold international humanitarian law by ensuring safe, rapid and unimpeded access for aid operations. They reaffirmed that all efforts must be made to guarantee that assistance reaches those who are most vulnerable.
The Security Council underscored the fact that in the absence of a political solution to the conflict in Yemen, the humanitarian crisis in the country will continue to worsen. Members reiterated their commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Yemen, and said they stand firm in support of the country’s people.
The council also renewed its support for the UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and endorsed his ongoing efforts to help reach a negotiated, inclusive, Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political settlement. This process, they added, must be grounded in the agreed references and consistent with Security Council resolutions.
