Yemen Information Minister: How Can We Trust Houthi Promises While the UN Fails to Protect Its Own Staff?

Yemen Online

28-03-2025

Riyadh- In a pointed statement reflecting growing frustration with international handling of the Yemeni crisis, Yemen's Minister of Information, Moammar Al-Eryani, criticized the United Nations for continuing to advocate peace and dialogue with what he described as the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist militia, despite the UN's failure to secure the release of its own detained employees.
'Twenty-three UN employees remain imprisoned behind bars in areas under Houthi control,' Al-Eryani said, highlighting the group's ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law by arbitrarily detaining humanitarian and aid workers.
He questioned the credibility of the UN's peace efforts, stating:'If the United Nations itself is unable to protect its personnel and secure their release, how can anyone trust the Houthis' promises or rely on their commitments in any political process?'
Al-Eryani placed a major question mark before the international community, stressing that continued leniency toward the Houthis and attempts to present them as a legitimate political actor amount to a dangerous normalization with terrorism, which undermines the chances of genuine peace in Yemen.
The minister's comments come as pressure mounts on the UN to resolve the ongoing detention of its staff by the Houthis, amid a conspicuous silence from international actors and a soft diplomatic stance toward a group that continues to suppress freedoms and violate international conventions.
Observers say Al-Eryani's remarks shed light on the double standards in international dealings with armed groups and call on the global community to uphold its moral and legal responsibilities toward both the Yemeni people and humanitarian personnel on the ground.