Information Minister: Houthi militia’s ongoing abduction of international organization staff is a result of lax global stance.

In a concerning escalation of hostilities against international organizations, Houthi militias have kidnapped a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) employee, Abdullah Al-Baydani, and another Yemeni worker from the Oxfam organization in Saada province. Yemen’s Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Muammar Al-Eryani, highlighted this act as a continuation of the militia’s strategy to pressure international bodies into serving its malicious objectives.

International Response Criticized Amid Rising Kidnappings

Al-Eryani criticized the international community’s lax stance, which he believes has emboldened the Houthi’s oppressive actions against humanitarian organizations. This criticism follows a recent briefing by the UN’s Special Envoy to Yemen, which marked over a hundred days since the Houthi militia began a campaign of detaining Yemenis involved in humanitarian aid, development, human rights, peacebuilding, and education.

Since early June, the Houthi group has launched a wave of kidnappings, targeting over fifty UN employees, UN agency staff, the office of the UN envoy, and several international and local organizations in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa. These individuals, including three women, have been forcibly hidden for over a hundred days under mysterious conditions without any formal charges or the opportunity to contact their families.

Calls for Immediate Action and Relocation of UN Offices

The minister urged the international community to adopt a firmer stance against the Houthi militia’s crimes, which violate international law and humanitarian principles. He reiterated calls for the UN mission, international agencies, and organizations operating in Yemen, including the UN mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), to immediately relocate their main offices to the temporary capital, Aden, and other liberated areas. This move aims to ensure a safer and more effective environment for carrying out humanitarian missions and protecting the lives of workers.

Al-Eryani also demanded strong international measures to deter the Houthi militia, including the immediate release of all detainees, and proposed designating the group as a “global terrorist organization.” He emphasized the urgency of increasing international pressure, imposing additional sanctions on Houthi leaders, and elevating the issue in international media to raise awareness of the Houthi violations. Legal actions in international courts are also encouraged to hold those responsible accountable and to ensure the rights and safety of the kidnapped victims.

This incident underscores the perilous conditions under which humanitarian workers operate in Yemen and the critical need for a coordinated international response to address the ongoing crisis.

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