UN Denies Houthi's Espionage Allegation, Desak Staff Freed

Illustration of the United Nations. (Wikimedia Commons/Leif Jryptensen)

JAKARTA - The United Nations has rejected allegations by the Yemeni Houthi Group that some of their staff were involved in espionage, called the claim "very disturbing" and warned that it was life-threatening.

"We firmly reject any and all allegations that UN personnel or UN operations in Yemen are involved in any form of espionage or in any activity that is not in accordance with our humanitarian mandate," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ant Totalio Guterres, quoted by Arab News Oct. 17.

"The allegations, calling UN staff spies or, as we have seen in other contexts, call them terrorists all only endanger the lives of UN staff everywhere, and that is unacceptable," he added.

Dujarric's comments came in response to a wave of detentions by the Houthi authorities targeting UN and NGO workers in Yemen. At least 53 UN staff are still being held arbitrarily, some of whom have been detained without access to communications for years, according to the United Nations.

The Houthi rebel group in recent weeks accused the United Nations of spying for the United States and Israel, showing political bias, and not condemning Israeli military action.

The allegations come after Israeli airstrikes in September killed several senior Houthi officials in the capital Sanaa.

Following the attack, Houthi officials claimed some of the UN staff detained were involved in espionage, stressing diplomatic immunity should not be a cover for such activities.

In a statement from the Houthi-led foreign ministry, the group claimed UN silence on Israeli attacks showed "double standards" and alleged involvement.

Dujarric dismissed the narrative, asserting that the presence of the United Nations in Yemen was solely human. "The work we do in Yemen and what we do wherever we do is humanitarian work guided by basic principles of humanity, imparity, neutrality, and independence," he explained.

"The reason our humanitarian colleagues are in Yemen is to help the Yemeni people," he said.

The United Nations has repeatedly condemned the detention and raids on its facilities in the Houthi-controlled territory. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for immediate and unconditional release of all detained UN personnel, NGO workers, and diplomatic staff.

The Human Rights Watch group also criticized the arrest, stating there was no credible evidence put forward to support espionage allegations, warning the move hampered key aid operations in the war-torn country.

Houthis' accusations have sparked wider scrutiny over their treatment of aid workers and their involvement with international agencies.

In September, they accused UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg of "political involvement" for condemning the detention while allegedly ignoring what they called Israel's "aggression" in Yemen.

The UN itself is adamant that its operations remain based on neutrality.

"We will continue to call for an end to arbitrary detention of our colleagues," Dujarric said.

"They must be released, along with NGO workers and those from diplomatic missions," he said.

Yemen's conflict, which increased in 2015 after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa, has sparked one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. UN-led efforts to mediate peace have repeatedly stalled amid increasing regional instability.