2nd UN Worker Dies in Houthi Detention, Guterres Says
(MENAFN) A UN staff member has died in the custody of Houthi authorities in Yemen, prompting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to say he was “appalled.”
The victim, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shami, worked for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The Houthis had held him without legal basis since June 6, 2024.
In a statement posted Saturday on the US social media platform X, Guterres said al-Shami is the second UN employee to die in Houthi detention. A World Food Program (WFP) staff member died in February 2025.
“I remain gravely concerned for the safety and well-being of the UN personnel, former UN staff and personnel from humanitarian and civil society organizations who remain detained,” he said in the statement.
The earlier death was that of Ahmed Ba’alawi, a national WFP staff member. Local authorities in northern Yemen had arbitrarily detained him since Jan. 23, 2025, and he died on Feb. 11 of that year.
Yemen has been gripped by conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led military intervention followed in March 2015, backing the internationally recognized government.
The fighting has produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving millions of people reliant on aid.
The victim, Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shami, worked for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The Houthis had held him without legal basis since June 6, 2024.
In a statement posted Saturday on the US social media platform X, Guterres said al-Shami is the second UN employee to die in Houthi detention. A World Food Program (WFP) staff member died in February 2025.
“I remain gravely concerned for the safety and well-being of the UN personnel, former UN staff and personnel from humanitarian and civil society organizations who remain detained,” he said in the statement.
The earlier death was that of Ahmed Ba’alawi, a national WFP staff member. Local authorities in northern Yemen had arbitrarily detained him since Jan. 23, 2025, and he died on Feb. 11 of that year.
Yemen has been gripped by conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led military intervention followed in March 2015, backing the internationally recognized government.
The fighting has produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving millions of people reliant on aid.
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