At first glance, the repeated detention in Yemen of UN and NGO workers by the country’s Houthi rebels suggests a militant group lashing out after suffering a string of recent setbacks.
The National reported on Wednesday that armed men raided offices belonging to the Red Cross in Sanaa this week for the first time, questioning dozens of people. Given that the Red Cross mediated for the release of UN and civil society figures during previous rounds of Houthi harassment, this is an alarming escalation. The decision to target aid workers raises larger questions about the militants' strategy.
The Houthis have lost several senior political and military figures to Israeli air strikes, and the Gaza ceasefire has undermined the group’s excuse for its Red Sea shipping attacks. When combined with the rebels’ domestic unpopularity – an October 2024 survey by the Sanaa Centre for Strategic Studies found that only 8 per cent of respondents in Houthi-controlled areas viewed the militants positively – plus the stagnation of the country’s peace process, it is apparent that the gunmen have few cards to play.
By detaining dozens of local and foreign humanitarians, the Houthis may think they are gaining political and diplomatic leverage. In reality, the rebels are alienating the few remaining international bodies with which they have a functional relationship. The main losers in all this are the millions of impoverished Yemenis who rely on outside aid.
This point was underlined by UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, this week. Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Grundberg said the “continued arbitrary detention” of its staff “undermines the UN’s ability to deliver critical humanitarian aid in areas under [Houthi] control and erodes the trust essential for mediation”.
This tactic that has been seen elsewhere in the region, too. Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, for years has been accused of detaining foreign civilians to use as bargaining chips. Given that Iran has used these hostages to achieve a number of high-profile prisoner swaps with rival countries, perhaps the Houthi leadership has decided that it could gain from using similar tactics.
This would be a mistake. The Houthis’ military capabilities are a fraction of those of the Iranian state and the rebels’ main point of leverage – their ability to disrupt international shipping – has decreasing value as the war in Gaza abates. In fact, Palestine actually presents an opportunity for the rebels to step back from trying to strong-arm the international community and re-engage with efforts to find a political settlement in Yemen.
Most Yemenis want to see a different way forward. The Sanaa Centre survey found that more than three quarters (76 per cent) of respondents believed the escalation seen in the Red Sea since the war on Gaza hindered the peace process. As the fragile Gaza ceasefire holds and the Houthis having indicated this week that they will cease their attacks, there is space for diplomacy that allows for legitimate governance in Yemen. Arresting and detaining UN personnel and others undermines this and leaves Yemenis in further danger of escalation and humanitarian suffering.
