Geneva - SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties stated that the International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members arrives amid a dangerous escalation of violations targeting humanitarian and UN workers in Yemen. This escalation undermines the protection presumed for them under international humanitarian law and threatens the continuity of life-saving relief work.
The organization reported that this targeting occurred within a broader context of restrictions that began in 2024. The situation escalated with a wave of severe arbitrary arrests between January 23 and 25, 2025, which affected at least eight UN employees, according to intersecting international reports. SAM noted the mandatory decision taken by the United Nations on January 24, 2025, to halt all staff movements in Houthi-controlled areas after the total number of detainees at that time reached 23 UN employees.
The organization recalled a shocking incident in February 2025, when a World Food Programme (WFP) employee died in arbitrary detention only three weeks after being arrested. This tragedy led to the complete suspension of humanitarian operations in Saada Governorate for safety reasons. This death revealed a lack of minimum safety standards and legal guarantees for detainees held by the de facto authorities in Sana'a. It also represented a dangerous escalation that sparked a severe crisis of trust between international organizations and the de facto authorities.
SAM considered the raids on August 31, 2025, to be a dangerous turning point, as armed forces stormed the WFP headquarters, confiscated UN property, and detained 11 employees. By September 2025, the scope of violations had expanded, with reports documenting the detention of 44 national staff members, including the UNICEF Deputy Resident Representative.
This reflected a systematic policy of pressuring the international system. The pace of repression peaked in October 2025, when the number of detainees rose to 53. This included a raid on a UN facility in the "Hadda" neighborhood of Sana'a, where approximately 20 employees (15 international and 5 local) were detained and sensitive communications equipment was confiscated, in flagrant violation of diplomatic immunities and privileges.
SAM emphasized that these violations constitute a grave breach of Article 71 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which mandates the protection of relief personnel. Turning humanitarian workers into political targets is a crime under the Rome Statute, which criminalizes intentional attacks against personnel involved in humanitarian assistance missions.
The organization pointed to the silent human suffering of the detainees' families, as hundreds of children and women live in constant anxiety due to the absence of communication channels with their loved ones. The relocation of the UN Resident Coordinator's office to Aden after the detention of several staff members in Sana'a confirms the scale of unprecedented security risks. This relocation effectively threatens the delivery of aid to millions in need. Targeting WFP and UNICEF staff strikes at the core of civilian food and health security, transforming aid from a "guaranteed right" into a "tool for blackmail". This portends a disaster that exceeds the international community's capacity to contain.
The organization called for the immediate and unconditional release of all employees and abductees, the disclosure of the fate of the missing, and the assurance of their physical and psychological safety. It demanded independent international investigations into the cases of detention and death, and that those responsible be held accountable. It also urged the international community to exert real pressure beyond statements of condemnation, holding the Sana'a authorities fully legally responsible for the lives of the detainees.
SAM stressed that protecting humanitarian staff is a prerequisite for continuing the humanitarian response. It warned that impunity encourages the recurrence of these violations and threatens the total collapse of the remaining lifeline for millions of Yemenis. Finally, it emphasized that true international solidarity requires urgent and effective action to ensure the release of detainees, reveal the fate of the missing, and preserve the neutrality and independence of humanitarian work in Yemen.