UNICEF Yemen chief among staff detained by Houthis: UN official

The Yemen’s Houthis detained Peter Hawkins, the UNICEF Representative to Yemen since November 2022, as part of a group of 20 United Nations employees, according to a UN official who informed Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Details of the Detention

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that Hawkins was "among the 15 international employees detained in the complex."

The facility serves as housing for UN staff in the Yemeni capital, which has been under Houthi control since 2014.

Prior Incident

The detention comes after the rebels temporarily held Hawkins' Jordanian deputy, Lana Shukri Kataw, for several days in Sanaa last month before ultimately releasing her.

The detentions follow the storming of a UN compound in the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa the day before.

Hawkins is the highest-ranking UN official detained by the Yemeni group.

Highest-Ranking Official Among Detainees

Two Houthi security sources in Sanaa confirmed to AFP that Hawkins was among 15 foreign U.N. agency and organization officials detained inside the compound since Saturday.

Hawkins, 64, was appointed UNICEF Representative to Yemen in November 2022 after holding the same position in Iraq (2015-2019) and Nigeria (2019-2022).

Before joining the UN in 2015, he previously worked on governmental and nongovernmental relief projects in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka.

Last month, Hawkins spoke about the challenges of working in Yemen during an interview with the UN website, specifically mentioning the detention of organization employees.

"This creates a state of uncertainty regarding the safety and security of our personnel," he said.

Suspected Espionage Allegations

Houthi rebels previously stormed UN offices in Sanaa on Aug. 31, detaining more than 11 employees, according to the UN Since then, an undetermined number of other UN staff have been arrested by the Houthis in areas under their control.

A senior Houthi official told AFP they suspected the employees were spying for the United States.

In recent months, dozens of UN employees have been arrested in Houthi-controlled territories. Houthi-affiliated media has accused UN agencies of acting as a "humanitarian façade for espionage activities."

Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said Saturday that 53 UN personnel were being held by the Houthis, adding, "We will continue to call for an end to their arbitrary detention." He noted that some of them had been out of contact for years.

On Thursday, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi accused UN organizations, including the World Food Program and UNICEF, of participating in "aggressive espionage roles" during a televised speech. He claimed some of their employees played a role "in the Israeli targeting of the government meeting and the targeting of the prime minister and his companions."

Dujarric described these accusations as "dangerous and unacceptable," noting they "jeopardize the safety of UN personnel and humanitarian workers and undermine vital relief operations."