Yemen’s Houthi rebels have returned the United Nations Human Rights Office in Sana’a, which they seized earlier this month, a UN spokesman announced on Monday. 

On August 3, the Iran-backed Shiite militia group, which has controlled the capital and a large swath of territory across the northwest of the country, sent a force to commandeer the UN office, forcing the staff that still remained to hand over documents, personal items, and more. 

“The office was handed back today to our resident coordinator in Yemen,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. 

UN rights chief Volker Turk, who reported the office’s seizure last week, condemned the action as “a serious attack on the ability of the UN to perform its mandate.”  

Dujarric also reiterated calls for the release of 13 of its staff members and dozens of NGO and diplomatic staff held by the Houthis, conveying that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “deeply concerned about the well-being” of the detainees and urges their “immediate and unconditional release.” 

The Houthis claimed to have arrested an “American-Israeli spy network” operating under the guise of humanitarian organizations, but these allegations have been firmly denied by the UN. 

Yemen remains embroiled in a civil war that has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, where over half the population is reliant on aid.  

Experts warned earlier this week that in many of the areas controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognized government, hunger is surging amongst children, and famine looms likely.