In a concerning development, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have detained an employee of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in the rebel-held capital of Sanaa. The incident occurred on Sunday, with fears that additional staff members may have been apprehended in other regions of the country. According to a statement issued by the WFP, local security forces entered their offices in Sanaa and detained one staff member, while reports suggest similar detentions in other areas. The agency is urgently seeking further information from Houthi authorities, who have controlled Sanaa since 2014 and now govern significant portions of Yemen. A security source revealed to AFP that seven WFP employees and three UNICEF workers were arrested following raids on their offices. The WFP condemned the arbitrary detention of humanitarian staff, emphasizing that the safety and security of personnel are crucial for delivering life-saving aid. This incident follows an Israeli airstrike on Sanaa last Thursday, which resulted in the death of the Houthi prime minister. In response, Houthi authorities arrested dozens of individuals on suspicion of collaborating with Israel. This is not the first time the Houthis have targeted UN and aid workers. Earlier this year, eight UN employees were detained, adding to dozens of personnel held since June 2024. The Houthis have accused these individuals of being part of an ‘American-Israeli spy network’ operating under the guise of humanitarian organizations—a claim vehemently denied by the UN. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly called for the immediate and unconditional release of detained personnel, describing the death of a WFP staffer in custody earlier this year as a ‘deplorable tragedy.’ Yemen, already grappling with one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises due to a decade-long civil war, relies heavily on international aid, with over half of its population in need of assistance. The arrests have forced the UN to curtail its operations and suspend activities in certain regions of the impoverished nation.