UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres firmly condemned the death of a World Food Program (WFP) staff detained by the Houthis in Yemen.

"I express my deepest condolences to his family and WFP colleagues, as well as expressing solidarity with all his detained colleagues and their families," Guterres said as quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Wednesday, February 12.

The staff has been detained arbitrarily by the Houthi de facto authorities since January 23, 2025.

He said that the situation surrounding this sad tragedy was still unclear and urged the Houthis to provide an explanation.

"I call for an immediate, transparent, and thorough investigation and ask for accountability," he added.

Guterres expressed concern over the continued detention of humanitarian and diplomatic personnel in Yemen.

"Counts of personnel from the United Nations, national and international NGOs, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions continue to be detained, some of whom have been detained for years," he said.

Declaring the continued arbitrary detention unacceptable, Guterres again called for their immediate and unconditional release.

He also reiterated that the United Nations will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of its staff in their efforts to help the Yemeni people.

Yemen is still mired in one of the world's worst humanitarian and economic crises, which has been exacerbated by the nearly decade-long war between government forces and the Houthis.