100 Days of Detention: Regional Directors of UN agencies and INGOs Call for Immediate Release of Arbitrarily Detained Staff

Today marks 100 days since the arbitrary detention by de facto authorities in Sana’a of more than 50 personnel from the UN, international and national NGOs, civil society, and diplomatic missions, in addition to four UN staff members who have been detained since 2021 and 2023, according to UN agencies.

In a statement issued on Thursday, it said: "We, the regional directors of CARE, Oxfam, Save the Children, OHCHR, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO, and WFP, urgently call for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained colleagues. In the meantime, all detained colleagues must be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights, including being allowed to contact their families, legal representatives, and organizations."

They also called for protecting humanitarian workers, ensuring safe humanitarian space and access to the communities they serve.

"The humanitarian situation in Yemen is dire and worsening, with over 18 million people, including 14 million women and children, suffering from compounded crises such as food insecurity and malnutrition, epidemics, climate change, displacement, damaged infrastructure, and critical economic conditions," the statement read.