The UN has suspended all movement in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the organization announced on Friday following the arrest of seven UN personnel on Thursday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for their release and renewed his pleas for the Houthis to release UN personnel who have been detained since 2021.
"I demand the immediate and unconditional release of those detained on Thursday, as well as the personnel from the United Nations, international and national non-governmental organizations, civil society, and diplomatic missions arbitrarily detained since June 2024 and those held since 2021 and 2023. Their continued arbitrary detention is unacceptable," the secretary-general said.
He added that UN personnel should not be targeted "while carrying out their duties for the UN for the benefit of the people they serve."