'I cried for days': Office raids and arrests shock aid workers in Yemen

Months ago, Hana arrived at her workplace to find "drawers and doors smashed, and the boss surrounded by security personnel." Computers, phones, cameras, and files were confiscated, her boss was arrested, and the organization's bank accounts were ultimately frozen.

Hana worked for an American-funded non-governmental organization (NGO) in Yemen that supported women's empowerment and trained people to resolve issues through negotiation. However, the country's decade-long civil war has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, making life increasingly dangerous for NGO workers.

Over the past few months, 24 United Nations employees, along with staff from other local and international NGOs, have been detained by the Houthis. A series of arrests in January heightened the atmosphere of fear—one detainee from the World Food Programme died in custody. This situation has left aid workers feeling that their freedom of movement is severely restricted. Consequently, many organizations, including the UN, are scaling back operations, potentially worsening the lives of those already devastated by war.

A decade ago, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized control of much of western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, from the internationally recognized government. Since then, Saudi Arabia, with logistical and intelligence support from the US and UK, has conducted intensive airstrikes on its neighbor in an attempt to prevent the Houthis from controlling the entire country.

It was Houthi officials who raided Hana's office and detained her boss, and she fears retaliation if she speaks publicly. Therefore, for their safety, we have changed the names of Hana and others we interviewed in Yemen. Hana believes that by suppressing humanitarian workers, the Houthis aim to spread fear among the public. But what deeply hurt her was the public's reaction. "When I looked at social media, I found people treating us as spies, which was terrifying," she said.

The day after her boss was detained, Hana stared at the television, watching a pro-Houthi channel broadcast so-called spy "confessions" made by nine locals who had worked at the US embassy in Sanaa. They were arrested in 2021. At that moment, she feared things would get worse because she worked for an American-funded NGO. She decided to leave her home in northern Yemen. When she arrived in the south, she felt traumatized. "For three days, I couldn't eat or sleep. I couldn't stop crying," she said.

Now she fears that President Donald Trump's decision to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization could lead them to target anyone working on American-funded projects. Yemeni lawyer Abdulaziz, who represents 14 detainees, says that once someone is arrested, it is difficult for them to receive any support. They have been held for several months—three are UN staff, and the rest are employed by local NGOs. "For the first three months of detention, my clients had no contact with anyone," he said. Abdulaziz is increasingly concerned that their whereabouts remain unknown. Recently, he said his clients were able to make a few brief phone calls to their families. "Each call was between five and ten minutes," he explained.

The BBC contacted the Houthis to inquire about their treatment of aid workers but received no response. Furthermore, due to President Trump's global freeze on USAID operations, citing allegations of waste and misuse of funds, life-saving assistance from the agency has been suspended.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that the shockwaves from President Trump's policies and the Houthis' arbitrary arrests are "absolutely devastating." Niku Jafarnia, a Yemen and Bahrain researcher at the organization, said, "This will have a huge and dramatic impact on the delivery of aid in Yemen." According to Human Rights Watch, the United States funds about one-third of humanitarian aid to Yemen, most of which is provided through USAID. According to UN data, the United States provided more than $3.6 billion in assistance between 2015 and 2021, making it the country's largest single humanitarian aid donor.

"Cutting off aid would be a death sentence for us," warned Amal, a mother of nine children. She lives with thousands of other families in a camp for internally displaced persons in northern Yemen. Even over the phone, it is clear how heavy a burden this woman carries. She speaks slowly, filled with emotion. It has been almost a decade since she lost her home. Amal raises her large family alone. Her husband suffers from severe asthma, so he cannot work. After the conflict began, the whole family had to flee their home further north. Since then, life has become increasingly unkind to them. The camp is located on barren desert land and barely resembles a home. Their only shelter is a dilapidated plastic tent with no chairs or beds. Her children struggle to find joy in a place where they have almost nothing.

"If this supply line provided by NGOs is cut off, my children may die. We have no jobs, no income, nothing," Amal added. According to UNICEF, about half of the population is in dire need of humanitarian assistance, including nearly 10 million children. The UN Human Development Index ranks Yemen as one of the 10 least developed countries in the world. Amal told us that she receives a food basket from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) every month, but it barely lasts two weeks. She said that when they run out of food, her only option is to leave the camp and beg on the streets of the city. She passes restaurants and shops, hoping to get some bread or a packet of rice. "I feel ashamed, but should I let my children starve? I am completely helpless," Amal explained. Helplessness often hurts her. "I cry a lot when I realize I have nothing," she said, her voice both painful and bitter.

Due to poor sanitation, malnutrition, and miserable living conditions, a large number of children suffer from diarrhea and pneumonia, but few have access to adequate medicine. In a clinic in northern Yemen, shelves that should be filled with medicine are empty. Staff told us that the medical supplies they have are insignificant compared to the needs of the people.

The BBC contacted the United Nations seeking comment on the current aid distribution process and the recent arrests but received no response. However, Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, speaking to the UN Security Council, condemned the detention of its staff as "not only a violation of basic human rights but also a direct threat to the ability of the United Nations to deliver assistance to those who need it most." He also called for the immediate release of all detainees, whether from the UN or other local and international NGOs.

It is precisely to improve the lives of families like Amal that Hana and her colleagues are working. She proudly remembers how they sent girls to school in a conservative northern region. When parents complained that neighbors could see their daughters during recess, "we held discussions between residents and finally agreed to cover the playground so that the girls could return to class," she explained. She fears that the loss of this support due to fear and lack of funding may increase illiteracy rates. "We are the only people who survived the collapse of the country to serve the people," Hana sighed.