Houthi Rebels Vow Revenge and Detain Multiple UN Staff Members in Yemen

The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, stated on August 31 that at least 11 UN staff members were detained by Houthi rebels in the Yemeni capital Sana’a and Hudaydah province. Grundberg called on the Houthi rebels to immediately and unconditionally release all the detained UN and other international organization staff members. The Houthi rebels have not yet responded to this call. The organization had previously stated their intent to seek revenge for several key members killed in Israeli airstrikes. On August 29, Yemenis in Sana’a protested Israeli airstrikes and showed support for the Palestinian people in a rally. Hans Grundberg mentioned that the Houthi rebels’ actions of detaining UN personnel are unacceptable and urged for their release.