WHO Chief calls for release of UN staff following negotiation with Houthis

Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said the negotiation over the release of 13 UN staff arrested by the Houthi group in the Yemeni capital Sanaa has concluded. In a social media post, Mr. Ghebreyesus said the WHO continues to call for the detainee’s immediate release. The UN confirmed in June that 13 of its staff members have been detained by the Houthis in Sanaa.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ghebreyesus said that the Sanaa International Airport came under aerial bombardment as he and some other UN and WHO officials were about to board their flight from Yemen’s



capital, Sanaa. Noting that he and his colleagues are safe, the WHO chief said they will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before they can leave.

Israel yesterday launched airstrikes targeting Houthi-controlled military targets on Yemen’s western coast and inland Yemen. The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been launching regular rocket and drone attacks against Israel since November 2023. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the escalation between Yemen’s Houthis and Israel and called for a ceasefire.