UN Chief Expresses Outrage Over Staff Member’s Death in Houthi Detention
Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shami, who served with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), had been held arbitrarily by the Houthis since June 6, 2024.
In a statement published Saturday on X, Guterres said al-Shami was the second UN employee to die while in Houthi custody, following the death of a World Food Program (WFP) worker in February 2025.
“I remain gravely concerned for the safety and well-being of the UN personnel, former UN staff and personnel from humanitarian and civil society organizations who remain detained,” he said.
The first UN employee to die in detention was Ahmed Ba'alawi, a locally recruited WFP staff member who had been held by Houthi authorities in northern Yemen since January 23, 2025. He died on February 11 of the same year.
Yemen's conflict began in 2014 when Houthi forces took control of the capital, Sanaa. Saudi Arabia subsequently led a military intervention in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
The prolonged fighting has fueled one of the world's most severe humanitarian emergencies, leaving millions of Yemenis reliant on aid to meet their basic needs.
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