.jpeg)
In early June we reported on the arrest of 13 UN staff by Houthi authorities in Yemen. These arrests followed on earlier cases in which other staff had been held - the numbers are stated by various sources to range from 2 to 4 staff, some of whom have been held since 2021. The latest arrests included one UNICEF staff member, six from UN Human Rights, and one each from the Office of the Special Envoy in Yemen (OSESGY), UNDP, WFP, WHO and two from UNESCO. In addition to the 13 UN staff, 4 staff of international NGOs were arrested. Subsequent reports indicated that up to 70 staff of local NGOs and civil society organizations have also been detained.
Various appeals followed by the SG, the High Commissioner on Human Rights, and the heads of UN humanitarian agencies. At least publicly it seems that these appeals had no impact. Even worse was an announcement by the Houthi security agency that those arrested were part of a US / Israeli spy ring, an accusation furiously denied by UN officials.
This drama involving UN staff, of course, must be seen in the context of longstanding mistrust between the Houthis and the UN. This traces back, no doubt, to the UN's willingness to acquiesce to Saudi, UAE and western insistence on recognizing only the government in Aden, despite the fact that the capital, Sanaa, and most of the country's territory has been ruled for years by the Houthis. More recently, the problems relate to a deterioration of trust by the Houthis over distribution of aid by UN agencies, and by WFP in particular.
The bigger context however is the rapid deterioration between on the one hand, the US, UK and Israel and on the other hand, Iran, and its allies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. The fact that the US is WFP's major donor does not help.
A Brief Timeline
Tom McDermott
Various appeals followed by the SG, the High Commissioner on Human Rights, and the heads of UN humanitarian agencies. At least publicly it seems that these appeals had no impact. Even worse was an announcement by the Houthi security agency that those arrested were part of a US / Israeli spy ring, an accusation furiously denied by UN officials.
This drama involving UN staff, of course, must be seen in the context of longstanding mistrust between the Houthis and the UN. This traces back, no doubt, to the UN's willingness to acquiesce to Saudi, UAE and western insistence on recognizing only the government in Aden, despite the fact that the capital, Sanaa, and most of the country's territory has been ruled for years by the Houthis. More recently, the problems relate to a deterioration of trust by the Houthis over distribution of aid by UN agencies, and by WFP in particular.
The bigger context however is the rapid deterioration between on the one hand, the US, UK and Israel and on the other hand, Iran, and its allies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. The fact that the US is WFP's major donor does not help.
A Brief Timeline
October / November 2023 - Shortly after Israel's war in Gaza began in early October, the Houthis began in November to attack shipping in the Red Sea. They stated that the attacks were a direct response to Israel's war in Gaza.
December 2023 - WFP announced in early December that it was suspending food aid in Houthi held areas of Yemen. While at the time WFP claimed that the suspension was due to disputes over the volume of aid, there is little doubt that the Houthis saw the decision as directly linked to pressure by the US and linked to the attacks on shipping.
The campaign of attacks on shipping by the Houthis has been largely successful, bringing about an estimated 80% reduction in the number of ships transiting the Red Sea. This was despite multiple air and sea attacks mounted by the US and UK. Moreover, the threat of attacks forced many ships to divert to far longer routes around Africa in order to reach European and Middle Eastern ports, thus raising shipping costs significantly.
April 2024 - The situation continued to worsen. On April 1st Israel attacked an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus, killing 7 Iranian military officials. A tit for tat series of attacks followed with Iran mounting a drone attack on Israel and Israel responding with an attack destroying an air defense unit near Isfahan. There seemed to be a studied effort on both sides to limit the damage in these attacks in order to avoid a wider war.
July 2024 - Then on July 19th a Houthi drone succeeded in striking Tel Aviv. While it did little damage, the fact that the drone penetrated Israel's defenses came as a shock. Israel responded with a massive attack on Hodeidah Port in Yemen. Even so, there seemed again an attempt to limit the level of attacks in order to avoid wider war.
What next? - This week's news of multiple assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders has once more raised the stakes and the likelihood of a regional war. Indeed, the assassination in Tehran of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader, quickly resulted in a promise of major retaliation by Iran. Whether this may be direct or via Iran's allies the Houthis or Hezbollah or all three is not yet clear.
What is clear is that these developments pose a serious threat to the safety of UN staff in Yemen, especially those being held by the Houthis.
So it was with great surprise that I read the article below in yesterday's DEVEX newsletter that the US and WFP are planning to undertake a massive effort to supply food to 34 Houthi held districts of Yemen seen as most seriously affected by last year's suspension. WFP claims that this is not a resumption of the program but simply a one-time effort to address malnutrition. There is little doubt of the need for help in these areas, given multiple reports of stunting and other forms of malnutrition.
Click here for the article, "US to restart aid to Houthi Territory" by Colum Lynch in DEVEX.
While an effort to address malnutrition is welcome and may in addition be a good step in lessening the tensions between the UN and the Houthis, it poses serious problems for UN staff and the many contractors who would be asked to deliver and monitor distribution. The previous head of the company WFP contracted to monitor distribution was arrested, tried and sentenced to death. An equally serious concern is that this new effort will likely be seen by the Houthis and much of Yemen's population as a US ploy in which the UN is merely a pawn in the battles between the US and Israel on one side and Iran and its allies on the other.
December 2023 - WFP announced in early December that it was suspending food aid in Houthi held areas of Yemen. While at the time WFP claimed that the suspension was due to disputes over the volume of aid, there is little doubt that the Houthis saw the decision as directly linked to pressure by the US and linked to the attacks on shipping.
The campaign of attacks on shipping by the Houthis has been largely successful, bringing about an estimated 80% reduction in the number of ships transiting the Red Sea. This was despite multiple air and sea attacks mounted by the US and UK. Moreover, the threat of attacks forced many ships to divert to far longer routes around Africa in order to reach European and Middle Eastern ports, thus raising shipping costs significantly.
April 2024 - The situation continued to worsen. On April 1st Israel attacked an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus, killing 7 Iranian military officials. A tit for tat series of attacks followed with Iran mounting a drone attack on Israel and Israel responding with an attack destroying an air defense unit near Isfahan. There seemed to be a studied effort on both sides to limit the damage in these attacks in order to avoid a wider war.
July 2024 - Then on July 19th a Houthi drone succeeded in striking Tel Aviv. While it did little damage, the fact that the drone penetrated Israel's defenses came as a shock. Israel responded with a massive attack on Hodeidah Port in Yemen. Even so, there seemed again an attempt to limit the level of attacks in order to avoid wider war.
What next? - This week's news of multiple assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders has once more raised the stakes and the likelihood of a regional war. Indeed, the assassination in Tehran of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political leader, quickly resulted in a promise of major retaliation by Iran. Whether this may be direct or via Iran's allies the Houthis or Hezbollah or all three is not yet clear.
What is clear is that these developments pose a serious threat to the safety of UN staff in Yemen, especially those being held by the Houthis.
So it was with great surprise that I read the article below in yesterday's DEVEX newsletter that the US and WFP are planning to undertake a massive effort to supply food to 34 Houthi held districts of Yemen seen as most seriously affected by last year's suspension. WFP claims that this is not a resumption of the program but simply a one-time effort to address malnutrition. There is little doubt of the need for help in these areas, given multiple reports of stunting and other forms of malnutrition.
Click here for the article, "US to restart aid to Houthi Territory" by Colum Lynch in DEVEX.
While an effort to address malnutrition is welcome and may in addition be a good step in lessening the tensions between the UN and the Houthis, it poses serious problems for UN staff and the many contractors who would be asked to deliver and monitor distribution. The previous head of the company WFP contracted to monitor distribution was arrested, tried and sentenced to death. An equally serious concern is that this new effort will likely be seen by the Houthis and much of Yemen's population as a US ploy in which the UN is merely a pawn in the battles between the US and Israel on one side and Iran and its allies on the other.
And the biggest risk of all, the new attempt to push food into the north fails and results in more arrests leading to the end of all UN efforts to reach those in desperate need.
Tom McDermott
Thank you Tom for your insightful article. Baquer
ReplyDelete