By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for an investigation into the death of WFP staff member who was arbitrarily detained in the north of Yemen by the Houthi de facto authorities since January as the flags at all UN offices in Yemen are flying at half-mast this week.
Executive Director of the WFP Cindy McCain said in a post on the social media platform X that “Heartbroken and outraged by the tragic loss of WFP team member, Ahmed, who lost his life while arbitrarily detained in Yemen.
She described him as “a devoted humanitarian and father of two”, who “played a crucial role in our mission to deliver lifesaving food
WFP said that Ahmed was among 7 national staff detained by local authorities in northern Yemen since 23 January.
The Houthis are holding dozens of personnel from the UN, national and international NGOs, civil society and diplomatic missions – some have been detained for several years, WFP stated in a press release
UN head Antonio Guterres condemned the death of the WFP staff member and expressed solidarity with all detained colleagues and their families.
“The circumstances surrounding this deplorable tragedy remain unclear, and the United Nations is urgently seeking explanations from the Houthi de facto authorities,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
“I call for an immediate, transparent and thorough investigation and for those responsible to be held accountable.”
Mr. Guterres said the continued arbitrary detention of the other personnel is “unacceptable”. He renewed his call for their immediate and unconditional release.
“The United Nations continues to follow this situation closely and will continue to take appropriate measures to ensure the safety and security of our staff in their efforts to deliver for the people of Yemen,” he said.
Mr. Guterres instructed all UN agencies, funds and programmes to pause operations in Sa’ada governorate in northwest Yemen on Monday in a note to reporters issued in New York.
“This extraordinary and temporary measure seeks to balance the imperative to stay and deliver with the need to have the safety and security of the UN personnel and its partners guaranteed,” his Office said in a note to correspondents.
The decade of conflict between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition, has left some 18. 2 million people more than half the population in need of humanitarian assistance.
WFP supports millions through its programmes, which include delivering essential food to conflict-affected families, feeding schoolchildren and providing nutritional support to women and children, including in camps for internally displaced people.
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