US calls on Yemen's Houthis to release embassy staff
US Special Envoy Yemen Tim Lenderking said the rebels' detention of US and UN staff "sends an extremely negative signal."
Yemen’s Houthis continue to detain 12 current and former employees of the United States and United Nations in the rebel-held capital of Sanaa, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking said on Thursday.
“This detention, we feel, sends an extremely negative signal,” Lenderking said in a phone briefing with reporters. “We want to see a demonstration of good faith by the Houthis releasing these individuals unconditionally.”
Why it matters: Last November, the Biden administration announced that the Houthis had stormed the shuttered US Embassy compound in Yemen and detained dozens of locally employed staff. Many were later released with the help of Oman, which has long acted as a mediator in Yemen’s war.
But a number are still held without charge. The militant group also detained two local United Nations employees working for UNESCO and the UN human rights office.
