The families of dozens of Yemeni aid workers detained by Houthi rebels are living in a state of terror and despair, their lives shattered by a sweeping crackdown that has seen their loved ones disappear for months without formal charges or trials.
A Night of Terror: The Arrest of Ahmed al-Yamani
The al-Yamani family's world turned upside down on 6 June 2024. Just a day after celebrating his daughter's wedding, masked troops stormed their home in Sanaa, Yemen's Houthi-held capital. The armed men pointed guns at family members, including his younger son Abdelrahman, before arresting the 52-year-old. They ransacked the property and confiscated all documents, even the deed to the house.
During the raid, al-Yamani's wife and mother were guarded by five female Houthi personnel in a separate room. "They left the house with my father in an armored vehicle and took his car," recounted his 28-year-old son, Khaled al-Yemeni, who now lives in France. The family believes his only crime was working for local humanitarian groups.
Months of Uncertainty and Enforced Disappearances
Ahmed al-Yamani is one of many Yemeni staff working for United Nations agencies, aid groups, and non-governmental organisations detained since the crackdown began at the end of May 2024. A report by Human Rights Watch details that for months, families were not informed of their relatives' whereabouts, a situation amounting to enforced disappearances.
One such case is Dr. Ali Mudhwahi, a 56-year-old public health consultant with UNICEF, arrested in June 2024. His wife, Safiah Mohammed, said he was blindfolded and taken after his office was raided. Eight months passed before his first phone call home. "In the last three calls, his voice sounded exhausted," Mohammed shared. "I can sense he’s not okay." To this day, she and their 12-year-old daughter do not know where he is being held.
A doctor from Sanaa, who spoke anonymously for his family's safety, told a similar story. His brother, a UNESCO worker, was arrested last year, and a cousin from another UN agency was taken in September after repeated summons for questioning. "One day, he did not come back," the doctor said.
Families Left Broken and Pleading for Help
The emotional toll on the families is devastating. The Sanaa doctor described them as "ghosts of people," numbed by the pain of not knowing. Safiah Mohammed tries to shield her daughter, telling her the father is away on "work missions." "They took the head of my family. They took our sole provider," she said. "I’m trying to hide my pain from my daughter but... I’m worried."
Families' fears intensified when the US and Israel launched a military campaign against the Houthis, raising concerns that their loved ones could be held in targeted prison facilities.
The Houthis, through Hazam al-Assad of their political bureau, accuse the detainees of espionage for Israel and the West, claiming they possessed "advanced spying devices." However, a UN deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, has denounced these arrests, calling the accusations "baseless and extremely distressing." He affirmed that UN staff are impartial humanitarian professionals.
While a dozen international UN staff were released in October, 59 Yemeni UN employees and many other NGO personnel remain detained. Families feel let down, with Khaled al-Yemeni stating that his father's past employers, including UN offices in Yemen, said they must prioritise their own current staff.
The UN continues to engage with the Houthis, seeking the "immediate and unconditional release and safe return of all detained." Haq expressed solidarity with the families, stating, "We stand with them in their frustration and anxiety." Meanwhile, families like al-Yamani's and Mohammed's use social media to draw attention to the cases, carefully appealing for Houthi sympathy in the hope of seeing their loved ones again.
