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By Newspot Nigeria Global Desk
The heads of major United Nations agencies and leading international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) have renewed their urgent call for the immediate and unconditional release of humanitarian and diplomatic personnel detained in northern Yemen by the Houthi de facto authorities.
This week marks one full year since dozens of aid workers and diplomatic staff were arbitrarily detained, with some held since as early as 2021. Currently, 23 UN staff and five INGO workers remain in detention. In a heartbreaking development, one staff member from the UN and another from Save the Children have died while in custody.
📢 “Nothing can justify their ordeal,” the joint statement emphasized. “They were doing their jobs—helping people without food, shelter, or adequate health care.”
The detainees’ continued absence has taken a severe emotional toll. Many have missed funerals of loved ones, been cut off from their children and spouses, and languished in detention for over 1,000 days in some cases—a direct violation of international law.
🇾🇪 Yemen continues to face one of the world’s most dire humanitarian emergencies, with over 19 million people dependent on assistance. The detention of aid workers not only puts individual lives at risk but also cripples ongoing humanitarian operations and obstructs peacebuilding efforts.
The signatories acknowledged the release of one UN and two NGO staff members, as well as a recent embassy staff release, but stressed that the de facto authorities must fulfill their promises, including those made to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom during his December 2024 mission to Sana’a.
🚨 The statement concluded with a collective pledge:
“The UN and INGOs will continue to work through all possible channels to secure the safe and immediate release of those arbitrarily detained.”
✍️ Signatories Include:
- Achim Steiner (UNDP)
- Audrey Azoulay (UNESCO)
- Catherine Russell (UNICEF)
- Cindy McCain (WFP)
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (WHO)
- Volker Türk (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), among others.
📣 Humanitarian workers are not a bargaining chip. They are a lifeline to millions. Their freedom is not optional—it is a necessity.
📰 Newspot Nigeria joins the international community in calling for the swift release of all detained humanitarian staff and reaffirms its commitment to spotlighting threats to human rights and global peace.
