U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on Tuesday for the immediate release of all United Nations staff held in Yemen by the de facto Houthi authorities following the detention of 13 of the Organization’s personnel. Four additional U.N. staff members have been detained and held incommunicado by the de facto authorities since 2021 and 2023 without access to their families or their respective organizations and agencies. “This is an alarming development that raises serious concerns about the Houthis’ commitment to a negotiated solution to the conflict. The United Nations condemns all arbitrary detention of civilians,” Mr. Guterres said. “I demand the immediate and unconditional release of all detained U.N. personnel.” The U.N. chief’s call came as he met with his Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, in Jordan. They discussed recent developments in Yemen, including an escalating crackdown on civic space by the de facto authorities that reportedly led to the arbitrary detention of dozens of U.N., NGO, and aid workers.
A boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Yemen, leaving at least 49 dead and 140 missing, the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration said Tuesday. The boat was carrying some 260 Somalis and Ethiopians from the northern coast of Somalia on the 320-kilometer (200-mile) journey across the Gulf of Aden when it sank Monday off Yemen’s southern coast, the IOM said in a statement. It said search efforts were continuing and so far 71 had been rescued. Among the dead were 31 women and six children, it said. Yemen is a major route for migrants from East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to reach Gulf countries for work.
On Monday evening, the Houthi group announced that an American-British raid targeted the coastal governorate of Al-Hudaydah. Houthi-affiliated media reported that the American-British strikes targeted the coast of the Al-Faza area in Al-Tuhayta District in Al-Hudaydah, which overlooks the Red Sea. Since the beginning of this year, a US-led coalition has launched multiple raids, hitting Houthi sites in various regions of Yemen, in response to the Houthi attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
Hamas accepts a U.N. resolution backing a plan to end the war with Israel in Gaza and is ready to negotiate details, a senior official of the Palestinian militant group said on Tuesday in what the U.S. Secretary of State called a hopeful sign. However, an official close to the talks said that Qatari and Egyptian mediators have not received formal replies from Hamas or Israel to the U.N.-backed truce proposal. Both sides suggested on Tuesday the plan fit their clashing goals, raising doubt about whether any genuine headway towards a deal had been made.