UN envoy: Houthi rebels in Yemen arrest 11 UN staff members

United Nations Special Envoy for the Yemen issue, Hans Grundberg, said on the evening of August 31 that at least 11 UN staff were arrested by Houthi rebels in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and in Hudaydah province. Grundberg said that the Houthi rebels forcibly entered and seized assets from the UN offices in the area. Including this incident, a total of 34 UN staff have been detained by the Houthi rebels, some of whom have been detained for several years. Earlier this year, a UN staff member died while being detained in northern Saada province. Grundberg called on the Houthi rebels to immediately and unconditionally release all detained UN and other international aid organization staff.