US upset by Houthi arrest of UN employees in Sana’a

Noura Bendari

The US administration was shocked by the November 10th arrest of a number of United Nations employees in Yemen by the Houthi militia.

The employees used to work for the US embassy in Sana’a and the US Agency for International Development, the international development arm of the US government, in Sana’a as well.

Washington condemned the arrest of the employees and demanded their immediate release. It also warned against harming them.

A day after the arrest of the employees, Houthi militiamen broke into the US embassy and looted its contents. They also kidnapped embassy guards.

Crime            

This crime by the Iran-backed Houthi militia comes as international pressure piles up on the militia to end the war in Yemen.

The Houthis have been stepping up their violations across Yemen and outside it in the past five months.

The Yemeni National Army, the Saudi Arabia-led alliance and the Popular Resistance Forces are, meanwhile, stepping in to confront the Houthis.

They succeeded in inflicted heavy damage on them in terms of lives and equipment.

Statement

The US State Department said the White House works hard to secure the release of the UN employees arrested by the Houthis.

It demanded the Houthis in a statement to leave the US embassy building in Sana’a immediately.

Terrorist group

The US Congress debated the classification of the Houthi militia as a ‘terrorist group’ during the last days of the tenure of former US president Donald Trump.

Nonetheless, when he came to office, US President Joe Biden rejected the notion of labeling the group as a ‘terrorist’ movement.

Biden did not want such a classification to negatively affect the flow of humanitarian aid to Yemen and the Yemeni people