UN announces death in Yemeni prison of aid worker detained by Houthis

Cairo — 

The United Nations World Food Program said Tuesday that an assistance idiosyncratic has died successful a Yemeni situation 3 weeks aft his detention by Houthi rebels.

The announcement came a time aft the U.N. suspended its operations successful the rebel's stronghold successful bluish Yemen.

The World Food Program said successful a connection that 1 of its unit members died portion successful detention successful bluish Yemen. He was 1 of 7 WFP staffers detained by the Houthi rebels connected Jan. 23. No origin of decease was given.

"Heartbroken and outraged by the tragic nonaccomplishment of WFP squad member, Ahmed, who mislaid his beingness portion arbitrarily detained successful Yemen," WFP enforcement manager Cindy McCain wrote connected the X societal media platform.

She said the worker, who is survived by his woman and 2 children, "played a important relation successful our ngo to present lifesaving nutrient assistance."

A Houthi spokesperson didn't instantly respond to requests for comment.

The 40-year-old worker, who joined the U.N. nutrient bureau successful 2017, died Monday successful a situation successful the bluish state of Saada, and that the circumstances of his decease weren't instantly known, said a WFP official, who spoke connected information of anonymity.

The U.N. said Monday it was suspending its humanitarian operations successful the bluish state of Saada aft the Houthis detained 8 much U.N. staffers.

A U.N. connection said the "extraordinary" determination to intermission each operations and programs successful Saada was owed to the deficiency of indispensable information conditions and guarantees. It called for the Houthis to merchandise each detained U.N. staff.

The rebels person detained dozens of U.N. staffers, arsenic good arsenic radical associated with assistance groups, civilian nine and the once-open U.S. Embassy successful Sanaa, Yemen's capital. None of the U.N. staffers has been released.

The U.N. determination volition impact the planetary effect to 1 of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. Seven U.N. agencies run successful Saada, including the WFP, the World Health Organization and UNICEF, on with respective planetary assistance organizations, according to the U.N. humanitarian agency.

Yemen's civilian warfare began successful 2014, erstwhile Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels took power of the capital, Sanaa, and overmuch of the country's north, forcing the authorities to fly to the south, past to Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led conjugation entered the warfare successful March 2015, backed astatine the clip by the U.S., successful an effort to reconstruct the internationally recognized authorities to power.

The warfare has killed much than 150,000 radical including civilians and combatants, and successful caller years deteriorated mostly into a stalemate and caused 1 of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The U.N. had projected that implicit 19 cardinal radical crossed Yemen volition request humanitarian assistance this twelvemonth arsenic galore woody with clime shocks, malnutrition, cholera and the economical effects of war.