Working for the UN in Yemen has never been as risky as it is in 2025

1. More than a decade of instability
2. Houthi arrests peak in 2025
3. From attack to kidnapping
4. Direct impact on humanitarian aid
5. An uncertain future for aid in Yemen

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is, behind Sudan, one of the most serious in the world and has reached its most critical point in 2025.

With the Houthi militias, which are pro-Iranian, controlling vast areas of the country, detentions and arrests of employees of United Nations missions and other non-governmental organisations have intensified as never before in the Arab country.

This increase poses a double threat to Yemeni society, as it raises the possibility that the United Nations will stop sending humanitarian aid. In a country where more than half of the population depends on humanitarian aid to survive, the cessation of operations by the UN could be a decision that ends up exacerbating the crisis to extreme levels.

More than a decade of instability

Since 2014, the country has been embroiled in a complex conflict, in which the Houthis are fighting an internationally supported government, with the involvement of various regional and global actors.

Amid this crisis, humanitarian aid organisations have tried to remain neutral, focusing exclusively on alleviating the suffering of the civilian population.

However, the arrests of UN personnel are creating uncertainty about this neutrality in the eyes of the Houthi authorities, who appear to be using these arrests as a means of exerting political pressure and sending a message to the international community.

Houthi arrests peak in 2025

According to data from the United Nations, 2025 is the year with the highest number of arrests of humanitarian personnel in Yemen since the start of the conflict.

At least 69 employees of the UN have been arrested by Houthi militias, more than 70 this year alone, including 38 workers from the World Food Programme (WFP), posing a direct threat to the continuity of humanitarian aid and affecting millions of civilians who depend on it for their survival.

From attack to kidnapping

Since the beginning of the year, reports of kidnappings of UN personnel, without a warrant or apparent reason, have been systematic. United Nations sources have repeatedly pointed out that detained personnel do not have access to legal assistance. This fact has elevated the case to the International Criminal Court.

In the last decade, arrests and detentions were not a common practice, but the impoverishment of the population and the increased tension caused by Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have turned arrests and detentions into the terrorist group's vandalism of choice.

According to reports on their official Telegram channels, the detentions are due to accusations by the organisation that UN and NGO personnel are collaborating with foreign powers in order to further destabilise Yemeni society.

However, according to the UN itself, these accusations are unfounded as they have rarely been substantiated with evidence.

But the kidnappings do not only lead to disappearances; there have also been reports of cases in which victims are forced to perform forced labour until they are killed.

‘Security is minimal and the sense of protection is non-existent,’ says the UN, referring to the words of Yemeni workers who have had family members kidnapped from their homes. The climate of insecurity is growing.

Direct impact on humanitarian aid

The increase in kidnappings is a major threat to Yemenis. The lack of guarantees and the insecurity suffered by several United Nations agencies have led to cuts in the budget for these operations, even to the point of suspending them in regions where the Houthis have total control of the area.

As a result, food shortages, disease and access to drinking water will become even more difficult for those living in the area. The disruption of these resources could cause serious problems, especially in communities already suffering from malnutrition, disease outbreaks and an almost total collapse of essential services.

An uncertain future for aid in Yemen

The continuation of humanitarian aid in Yemen is crucial to restoring basic conditions of security and trust. If the arrests continue, there is a considerable risk that Yemen will become even more isolated, resulting in a significant decline in international support at a critical time.

For many Yemenis, this is not a political issue, but a vital necessity for survival. The capture of a humanitarian worker impacts not only an individual, but entire communities that depend on their work.