Geneva — SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties stated that conditions in areas under Houthi control are witnessing a dangerous escalation in targeting international organizations and humanitarian workers, amid an increasing wave of incitement that threatens their safety and undermines the humanitarian work environment in Yemen.

The organization indicated that this escalation reached its peak at dawn today, when an armed security force belonging to the Houthi Security and Intelligence Service stormed the United Nations compound (UNCAF) located on Hadda Street in Sana’a — an act that SAM described as “the most dangerous in years” regarding attacks on UN missions.

According to the organization, quoting journalist Fares Al-Hemyari, the attacking force used armored vehicles and military equipment after surrounding the compound and closing all its entrances, before cutting off electricity, disabling surveillance cameras, and blocking communications and the internet in an attempt to completely isolate the compound from its surroundings.

SAM reported that the armed men stormed the compound’s buildings and detained around 15 international staff members along with several local employees. The foreign staff were forced to stay in one of the building courtyards, while the Yemeni employees were held in the basement. Extensive searches and confiscations were carried out, including servers, phones, computers, surveillance cameras, and UN-owned documents and assets.

The organization noted that Houthi forces remain stationed inside the compound as of the release of this statement and that Yemeni employees are undergoing prolonged interrogations under harsh security conditions. SAM affirmed that the incident constitutes a blatant violation of the sanctity and legal immunity of international premises, according to Al-Hemyari.

SAM added that the raid came only two days after an inciting speech by the leader of the Houthi armed group, in which he accused a senior security official with the World Food Programme of espionage — a statement SAM viewed as direct incitement against humanitarian workers and a deliberate prelude to justify attacks on international organizations’ facilities.

The organization warned that the continuation of such hostile practices portends grave humanitarian consequences and may compel UN agencies to reduce or suspend their humanitarian operations in Yemen, which would exacerbate the suffering of millions of civilians dependent on aid for survival.

SAM affirmed that these violations constitute a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which guarantees the inviolability of international missions and prohibits their invasion or seizure. It also represents a violation of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which obliges all parties to protect civilians and humanitarian workers.

SAM pointed out that the Houthi group has, for months, been detaining more than 50 Yemeni employees working for UN agencies and international organizations, while dozens of others have been forced to sign pledges not to travel or communicate with any external entity — a pattern the organization described as arbitrary detention and systematic abduction.

SAM called on the Houthi group to immediately withdraw from the UN compound, release all detainees, and halt incitement campaigns against international organizations and their staff. The organization also urged the United Nations, Security Council, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to take a clear and firm stance toward this attack and to adopt urgent measures to ensure the protection of its premises and employees in Yemen.