WFP says worker died in detention in Houthi-controlled Yemen

A World Food Programme (WFP) worker has died while in detention in Houthi-controlled northern Yemen, according to the UN agency.

The WFP said the man was one of seven Yemeni staff "arbitrarily detained" by local authorities since 23 January. It is unclear when or how he died.

His death was announced a day after the UN said it would be pausing all operations in the northern governorate of Saada, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Houthi movement, over safety concerns.

The UN said it followed the detention by the Houthis of eight additional UN personnel, including six in Saada. More than 60 staff from the UN, international non-governmental organisations and foreign embassies were already being held.

"This extraordinary and temporary measure seeks to balance the imperative to stay and deliver with the need to have the safety and security of the UN personnel and its partners guaranteed," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said.

In a post on X on Tuesday, WFP executive director Cindy McCain said the worker who died in detention was named Ahmed and that he was a "devoted humanitarian and father of 2" who had helped deliver life-saving food assistance.

According to the WFP, he had been working for the agency since 2017.

McCain said she was "heartbroken and outraged by the tragic loss".

"Humanitarians are #NotATarget," she added.

There was no immediate comment from Houthi authorities.

Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that escalated 10 years ago, when the Houthis seized control of the north-west from the internationally-recognised government and a Saudi-led coalition supported by the US and UK intervened in an effort to restore its rule.

The fighting has reportedly left more than 150,000 people dead and triggered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with 4.8 million people displaced and 19.5 million - half of the population - in need of some form of aid.

Last month, the UN said it was actively engaging with senior Houthi officials to try to secure the release of all its detained employees.

Even though they provide a vital lifeline, UN agencies have regularly had problems reaching people in more remote areas outside the major towns and cities, with Houthi officials regularly reported to have obstructed the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Human rights groups have also accused the movement of kidnapping, torturing and arbitrarily detaining hundreds of civilians.

In June, the Houthis claimed they had dismantled an "American-Israeli spy network" following the detention of 13 UN staff, as well as more than 50 NGO workers and an embassy staff member. The UN human rights chief said the allegation was baseless.

The UN Security Council is due to discuss the situation in Yemen later this week.

Last month, US President Donald Trump put the Houthis back on his country's list of designated foreign terrorist organisations over their attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel.