UN Rejects Houthi Demands US-UK Staff To Leave Yemen

UN UN/Brightest DOC

JAKARTA - The United Nations has responded to Houthi's demands asking US and British citizens working for the United Nations and its humanitarian organizations to leave Yemen within a month.

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the international agency had received communication "from the de facto authorities," which refers to the Yemeni group.

"What needs to be said is that any request or requirement for UN staff to leave just because the staff's citizenship is not in line with the legal framework in force at the United Nations," Dujarric told reporters.

"This also hampers our ability to carry out a mandate to help all people in Yemen and we call on all authorities in Yemen to ensure that our staff can continue to carry out its functions on behalf of the United Nations," he said.

The spokesman noted that all UN staff work impartially and serve the United Nations.

Several media previously reported authorities in Sanaa informing UN coordinators that British and US nationals have one month to leave the country.

A letter dated January 20 and circulating on social media stated that the staff must be prepared to leave immediately after the deadline has passed, with a notification to be delivered within 24 hours by letter.

Yemen has been hit by violent acts since 2014 when the Houthi rebels seized most of the country's territory from the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. However, the conflict has eased more than a year ago.

Tensions are rising in the Red Sea amid the Houthi attack on commercial ships suspected of having links to Israel.

The Houthis said the attack was to pressure Israel to stop its deadly attack on the Gaza Strip. The attack triggered the US and Britain to launch a retaliatory airstrike against the Houthi targets within Yemen.

The Red Sea is one of the most frequently used routes in the world for oil and fuel shipments.