The UN will continue its humanitarian operations in Yemen despite the recent death of a UN staffer while in the custody of the Houthi-aligned authorities, the organisation’s Resident Coordinator for the country confirmed yesterday.

Operations in the Houthi-controlled governorate of Saada were suspended temporarily after the de-facto authorities detained seven World Food Programme (WFP) employees on 23 January. One of them, identified as Ahmed, died in custody later under unknown circumstances.

“We are not suspending our operations in Yemen,” UN official Julien Harneis told a press conference in Amman, Jordan. “We paused in Saada because 10 per cent of our office [staff] was detained. Clearly, we don’t have the necessary operating environment there.”

The Houthis have a history of detaining aid workers, often accusing them of espionage, allegations that the UN denies strongly. Harneis suggested that humanitarian staff may be seen as a threat due to external calls for action against the Sanaa government, seemingly referencing Israeli threats made late last year.

Despite the growing risks, Harneis rejected suggestions to relocate UN operations from Sanaa to the internationally-recognised government-controlled city of Aden, warning that such a move would cost lives.

“How many people would you want to die?” he asked. “Children won’t get nutrition services, and when cholera hits again, there will be no one to help.”

On Friday, the UN Security Council condemned Ahmed’s death and demanded the immediate release of all detained UN and aid workers. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for Guterres, said that the ongoing detention of UN staff has compromised the “necessary security conditions and guarantees” for the continuation of UN operations in Saada.