The UN has voiced grave concern over the seizure by Yemen’s Houthi group of a key humanitarian compound and its assets in the Red Sea port city of Mokha.
UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Friday that the compound housed staff from UN agencies providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities in the area.
All UN personnel had left the compound before it was seized and were “safe and accounted for”, Haq told reporters.
He stressed that humanitarian personnel, premises and assets must be protected at all times and called for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access so aid can continue reaching people in need.
UN staff remain detained
Asked about 73 UN and NGO staff members detained in Yemen, Haq said the UN had no positive news about their situation.
He said the UN remained concerned about their condition and continued to call for their release.
The UN Department of Safety and Security is monitoring developments and reviewing its operations and presence in Yemen, Haq said, adding that the safety of UN personnel, including national staff, remained the organisation’s “paramount concern”.
Meanwhile, humanitarian workers on the ground report that civilians continue to flee the fighting, with about 18,000 households displaced since the beginning of September, according to Haq.
