World News | UN Cutting Back on Yemen Activities After Crackdown by Houthi Rebels on Humanitarian Staff

United Nations, Sep 12 (AP) The United Nations is cutting back its activities in Yemen in response to a crackdown by Houthi rebels on staff working for the UN and other humanitarian, human rights, development and education organisations, the top UN aid official said Thursday.

Acting UN humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya told the UN Security Council that the United Nations has taken steps “to minimise the exposure of staff to risk in Houthi-controlled areas”.

Also Read | NSA Ajit Doval Holds Talks With China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on LAC Standoff; Both Sides Agree to Redouble Efforts To Realise Complete Disengagement.

The UN has narrowed its focus to “essential lifesaving and life-sustaining activities,” she said, and is deprioritising broader activities to develop the Arab world's poorest nation.

In June, the Houthis detained more than 60 people working with the UN and other organisations, according to the UN Human Rights Office. Days later, the Houthis said they had arrested members of what they called an “American-Israeli spy network”. The Houthis' claims could not be independently verified.

Also Read | Earthquake in Los Angeles: Quake of Magnitude 4.7 on Richter Scale Hits US, No Casualty Reported.

Msuya said the UN strongly rejects “false allegations” by the Houthis against humanitarians, including recent claims of UN interference in Yemen's education system.

“These allegations threaten the safety of staff, further hinder the ability of the UN and its partners to serve the Yemeni people and must cease immediately,” she said.

Msuya and UN special envoy Hans Grundberg reiterated Secretary-General António Guterres' demand for the immediate release of all those detained including UN personnel, members of civil society, staff of diplomatic missions, private sector employees and individuals from minority religious communities.

Grundberg said it has been more than 100 days since the Houthis launched a wave of detentions “targeting Yemenis engaged in critical efforts related to humanitarian assistance.”

The Houthis have been engaged in a civil war with Yemen's internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, since 2014, when they took control of the capital Sanaa and most of the north.

The war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.

The rebels have imprisoned thousands of people during the war. And in recent months they intensified their crackdown on dissent at home, including recently sentencing 44 people to death.

Msuya warned that the humanitarian situation in Yemen is “steadily deteriorating” with 62% of households surveyed reporting they don't have enough to eat, saying this is a “historically high” number.

“For the first time on record, three districts – two in Hodeida and one in Taiz – are facing extremely critical levels of malnutrition – IPC Phase 5,” where there is famine, she said. “Four more districts are projected to reach this level by October.”

By the end of December, Msuya said, estimates project that over 600,000 children in government-controlled areas will be acutely malnourished and around 118,000 will suffer from severe acute malnutrition — a 34% increase since 2023.

“Time is of the essence if we are to prevent catastrophe,” she said, stressing that the UN humanitarian appeal for $2.7 billion for Yemen this year is only 28% funded.

Msuya also stressed that humanitarian workers need access. In the first seven months of the year, she said, direct interference by the parties in humanitarian activities accounted for 217 incidents – a significant increase from the 169 incidents reported for all of 2023.

“When the minimum requirements are met for the safety and security of United Nations personnel and other humanitarian workers, it is our sincere hope that we can once again expand programming,” Msuya said. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)