Spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations Stephane Dujarric confirmed on Friday that Yemen's Houthis detained 11 UN staff members in the last few days.
During a noon briefing, Dujarric expressed the UN's deep concern about recent developments and stated that they are "actively seeking clarification from the Houthi de facto authorities regarding the circumstances of the detentions." He stressed efforts are underway to secure “immediate access” to the personnel and their "safe and unconditional release" "as quickly as possible." Dujarric refrained from publicly disclosing the identities of those detained.
Earlier reports mentioned workers from other agencies were part of the detained group in four provinces that Houthis control.