Yemen’s Houthi militia has issued a directive for all US and British staff working for the United Nations (UN) and its affiliated agencies to vacate the country within a month. A UN official conveyed this information to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.
The official statement, dated January 20, was widely shared on social media platforms. The authorities in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital, instructed the UN resident coordinator to notify employees holding British and US nationalities that they have one month to “prepare to leave the country.” Additionally, the letter specified that they should be ready to depart as soon as the deadline expires, with 24 hours’ notice to be given by letter.
While the Houthi rebels only have control over a fraction of Yemen’s territory, they maintain significant influence over most of the country’s population centers.
Confirming the reception of the expulsion order, a UN official, who requested anonymity, told AFP, “The UN and its partners have taken note of this and are waiting to see what the next steps will be.”
This expulsion notice follows a series of joint military strikes carried out by the United States and Britain against the Houthi militia. The primary objective of these strikes is to halt the group’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which have posed a significant threat to global trade.
In addition to these recent actions, the United States has conducted multiple further strikes and recently executed a second set of joint strikes in collaboration with Britain. Furthermore, Washington recently reclassified the Houthi rebels as a “global terrorist group,” reversing a decision made in 2021 aimed at facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-torn and impoverished nation.
Since mid-November, the Houthi militants have been launching missiles and drones from Yemen’s coastline, targeting shipping they claim is associated with Israel. They have cited this action as a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, who are currently under siege by Israel. The conflict escalated following a surprise attack by the militant group on October 7.
