DUBAI, Feb 12, (V7N) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the death of a World Food Programme (WFP) staff member who had been detained by Huthi rebels in Yemen, calling for a thorough investigation into the incident.

The WFP identified the employee as a Yemeni national who had been "arbitrarily detained by local authorities since January 23," though the cause of death has not been disclosed.

"The circumstances surrounding this deplorable tragedy remain unclear, and the United Nations is urgently seeking explanations from the Houthi de facto authorities," Guterres said in a statement. "I call for an immediate, transparent and thorough investigation and for those responsible to be held accountable."

The WFP mourned the loss, noting that the employee had worked with the United Nations since 2017 and leaves behind a wife and two children.

In response, the UN suspended its operations in Yemen's Saada region, a stronghold of the Huthis, after the rebels detained several personnel there in recent months. Since mid-2024, the Iran-backed Huthis have arrested dozens of UN and NGO workers, with eight being detained in January alone, including six in Saada.

The Huthis had previously accused UN workers of being involved in an "American-Israeli spy network" operating under the guise of humanitarian aid—an accusation that has been strongly rejected by the UN Human Rights Office.

Yemen's civil war, which has raged for nearly a decade, has left the country in a dire humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.

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