A member of the Houthi security forces in Sanaa. Photo: Mohammed Huwai/AFP via Getty Images
Houthis preparing to install loyalists in international organizations
News
Mon, 22-07-2024 07:48 PM, Aden
Sanaa (South24)
The Houthis have directed international organizations operating in Yemen to submit lists of their organizational structures in preparation for the imposition of local employees loyal to the group, according to an informed source who spoke to South24 Center.
The Houthis' Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Cooperation sent out a letter to international organizations dated July 17, which South24 Center was able to verify the authenticity of.
Related: Houthi Actions Threaten International Humanitarian Activities in Yemen
The Iran-backed group also requested clarification of job descriptions and justifications for each position. The Houthis have given a one-week deadline to comply with their request, making it a condition for completing the hiring process for any local or foreign employees.
According to the source, this decision paves the way for widespread Houthi interference in the work of these organizations and the forceful imposition of loyalists within international bodies.
Throughout June, the Houthis arrested dozens of Yemeni employees of international organizations and non-governmental organizations, charging them with belonging to spy networks for the United States and Israel.
They broadcast videos showing former Yemeni employees of the US Embassy in Sanaa and other organizations making confessions to the charges levied against them.
There are growing fears that international humanitarian work in Yemen will be affected by the Houthis’ actions, which have already led to the suspension of food aid provided by the World Food Program in North Yemen since December 2023.
Related: WFP pauses aid distribution in Houthi-controlled areas
In October 2023, Save the Children ceased its activities in Sanaa following the death of one of its employees, Hisham Al-Hakimi, in a Sanaa-based Houthi prison.
The internationally recognized Yemeni government has called on international organizations to relocate their headquarters and operations from Sanaa to the capital, Aden, to escape the Houthis' practices.
South24 Center
YemenSanaaHouthisInternational organizationNGO