UN says some staff detained in Houthi-controlled Yemen, all movement suspended

The United Nations said on Friday that the Houthis who control northern Yemen had detained an unspecified number of U.N. personnel, and it was suspending movement in all Houthi-held areas while seeking the detainees' immediate release.

In a statement, the U.N. gave no further details about the arrests, which it said had taken place on Thursday in the area of the capital Sanaa.

All official movement of U.N. staff into or within Houth-held areas had been suspended to protect the safety of staff. The U.N. was actively engaging with senior Houthi representatives to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all its detained personnel and partners.

The Houthis, who are aligned to Iran, have attacked shipping in the Red Sea, drawing airstrikes from the United States and Britain. The United Nations also complained last June that the group had detained 11 members of its staff.

The Houthis have also held around 20 Yemeni employees of the U.S. embassy in Sanaa for the past three years. The embassy suspended operations in 2014.