Houthi Forces Forcibly Close UN Agency's Office in Sana'a, Yemen.

On August 13, news came that the office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, has been forcibly closed by Houthi forces, as revealed by UN officials and Yemeni government officials.

On August 8 and 9, Houthi forces conducted a raid on the office. A UN official who wished to remain anonymous said that Houthi forces entered armed, conducted a comprehensive search and confiscated many assets including vehicles, funds, documents, and computer hard drives containing important information, then expelled the staff and closed the office.

A senior Yemeni government official pointed out that this incident is a continuation of a series of actions by Houthi forces against UN and international organization staff in Sana'a. In June this year, Houthi forces arrested several Yemeni citizens working for the UN Human Rights Office, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and other agencies in Sana'a, and these people are still being detained. Yemeni Minister of Human Rights and Legal Affairs Ahmed Arman said in July that since early June, Houthi forces have arrested more than 50 staff and relief workers from the United Nations, international organizations and civil society organizations in Sana'a. The Houthi forces stated that the local humanitarian workers arrested were collaborating with foreign intelligence agencies including the United States.

The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Grundberg, called in July for the immediate and unconditional release of UN staff and relief workers detained by Houthi forces. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Türk issued a statement on August 13 strongly condemning this act and once again called on Houthi forces to release the detained UN staff.

In 2014, Houthi forces seized Sana'a, and the Yemeni government was forced to move to the southern city of Aden. Currently, Houthi forces control most of the territory in northern Yemen and the major Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.