12 UN staff leave Yemen after Houthi detention

Sanaa, Oct 23 (IANS) Twelve United Nations international staff detained last week by the Houthis in Yemen's capital Sanaa were released and flown out of the country, said a statement from UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg's office.

Three other detained UN employees were also free to move or travel, the statement said on Wednesday.

A UN plane was seen departing Sanaa airport on Wednesday morning, according to an airport employee.

Despite the releases, "53 UN colleagues remain arbitrarily detained by the de-facto authorities (Houthi group)," the statement said, renewing the UN Secretary-General's call for their immediate and unconditional release, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement did not mention whether the phones and laptops were also returned to the UN staffers or not.

Last week, a statement from the UN envoy's office said all belongings of the UN staff were confiscated.

The Houthis raided the UN compound in Sanaa last weekend, holding 20 staff, including 15 foreigners, inside the compound.

Five Yemeni nationals were released on Sunday.

The incident came after Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi accused UN staff in a televised speech of collaborating with Israel in deadly August airstrikes on Sanaa that killed several senior Houthi officials, including the group's chief of staff, Mohammed al-Gumari.

However, the group's leader did not provide evidence.

Israel said the strikes were in response to Houthi missile attacks.

The UN has denied the accusations.

The Iran-aligned Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in late 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year.

Since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, the group has launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, damaging dozens of vessels and sinking four.

The Houthis say their attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians.

--IANS

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