Yemen’s humanitarian crisis has reached a new level of severity as aid workers face increasing threats, detentions, and restrictions from the Houthi authorities, creating fears of an impending collapse in lifesaving assistance.
Hanaa, an employee at a US-funded non-governmental organization (NGO) in Yemen, arrived at work one morning only to find her office ransacked, its drawers and doors smashed.
Her boss stood surrounded by security personnel as authorities confiscated computers, phones, cameras, and documents. The organization’s bank account was later frozen, bringing operations to a standstill.
“I checked social media and found people calling us spies,” Hanaa said, describing the public’s reaction to the wave of arrests targeting humanitarian workers in Yemen.
In recent months, at least 24 United Nations employees and other NGO workers have been detained by Houthi rebels.
A wave of arrests in January further intensified the climate of fear, with the World Food Programme confirming that one of its detained employees died in custody.
The increased hostility toward aid workers has prompted many organizations, including the UN, to scale back their operations, further endangering millions who rely on humanitarian aid.
The Houthi rebels, who have controlled much of western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, for the past decade, have intensified crackdowns on foreign-funded organizations.
The conflict, which began with their takeover of Sanaa and prompted a Saudi-led military intervention backed by the United States and the United Kingdom, has since spiraled into one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
The impact of these restrictions has been devastating for Yemenis like Amal, a mother of nine who lives in a displacement camp.
“If this supply line provided by NGOs is cut, my children might die. We have no jobs, no income, nothing,” she said. Amal, who fled her hometown when war erupted, now struggles daily to feed her family, often resorting to begging for food.
Human Rights Watch has warned that the combination of Houthi detentions and the recent suspension of USAID-funded assistance, following allegations of fund mismanagement, will have “massive and dramatic consequences” for Yemen.
The United States had been Yemen’s largest humanitarian donor, contributing over $3.6 billion since 2015. Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, condemned the detentions as a direct threat to humanitarian operations, calling for the immediate release of all aid workers.
“This is not only a violation of fundamental human rights, but also a direct threat to the UN’s ability to distribute aid to the most needy,” he told the UN Security Council.
With Yemen ranking among the least developed nations and nearly half of its population requiring urgent humanitarian aid, the future remains bleak. Clinics lack essential medicines, clean water is scarce, and food supplies are dwindling.
For aid workers like Hanaa, the escalating risks cast doubt on their ability to continue serving those in desperate need.
“We are the only ones who have survived during the collapse of the state, in order to serve the people,” she said. But as the crackdown intensifies, the ability of humanitarian organizations to function in Yemen is hanging by a thread.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members