The World Food Programme (WFP) reported this Monday the release of one of its employees who had been in the custody of Houthi rebels in Yemen, while emphasizing that 72 United Nations workers continue to be held "arbitrarily" by the insurgency.
The UN agency noted in an official statement the "recent" release of a member of its staff, who "had been arbitrarily detained in Yemen" and who has now been able to reunite with their loved ones.
In that statement, the WFP expressed its "solidarity" with the 72 UN employees, as well as with five former workers of the multilateral system, who remain in custody in Yemen. "We will continue to explore all possible avenues to ensure their immediate and safe release," the agency emphasized.
In the same vein, it called for the release of all these individuals, along with the other aid workers held by the Houthis, and reiterated its support for "any constructive dialogue and collaboration with the Houthi de facto authorities to leverage this progress and ensure new releases."
At the same time, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, called this Monday for "maximum restraint" from "all" parties involved in the renewed conflict in Yemen, reminding them of their commitments under International Humanitarian Law, especially regarding "the protection of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure."
The UN chief said he felt "deeply concerned about the sharp escalation of fighting, which has intensified significantly in recent days" and condemned the "continuous attacks" by the Houthi insurgency both in Yemeni territory and in Saudi Arabia.
In a press appearance, his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, urged the warring parties to continue "collaborating constructively" with the UN special envoy, Hans Grundberg, in order to move towards "a negotiated and inclusive political solution."
These statements come after the progress of the forces aligned with the government based in Aden, which claimed this Monday to have regained control of the strategic Bab el Mandeb strait and the port city of Mocha from the Houthis, both locations situated on the Red Sea coast.
On Sunday, the president of Yemen, Rashad al Alimi, announced the start of a counteroffensive whose ultimate purpose is to expel the Houthi insurgents from the capital, Sana'a, after more than ten years under their rule, and to defeat the Iran-backed Ansarollah movement throughout the national territory.
This new surge of violence threatens to blow up the truce agreed upon in 2022, after years of war and despite the mediation efforts of the United Nations to reach a peace agreement that ends the conflict that began in 2014, which has placed Yemen in one of the worst crises at the international level.