UN chief condemns death of staffer in Houthi detention in Yemen
Antonio Guterres said the death of Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shami, an employee of the UN human rights office, left him appalled.
A UN staff member died while held by Houthi authorities in Yemen, prompting condemnation on Saturday from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
Guterres described himself as "appalled" by the death of Mohammed Ibrahim al-Shami, who worked for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a post on the social media platform X.
The UN chief said al-Shami had been held by the Houthis since June 6, 2024, and described his detention as arbitrary.
Guterres said al-Shami was the second UN employee to die in Houthi custody, after a World Food Program staff member died in February 2025.
He said he remains deeply worried about the safety and wellbeing of UN personnel, former UN staff and workers from humanitarian and civil society groups who are still being held.
The first of those deaths involved Ahmed Ba'alawi, a national staff member of the World Food Program, who was detained by local authorities in northern Yemen on Jan. 23, 2025, and died on Feb. 11 that year.
Yemen has been in conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.
The fighting has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, leaving millions of people reliant on humanitarian aid.
