THE heads of six United Nations agencies and three humanitarian organisations issued a joint appeal to Yemen’s Houthi-led government on Thursday for the release of 17 members of their staff.

The appeal was echoed by a statement from several dozen nations and the European Union ahead of a UN security council meeting on Yemen, where special envoy Hans Grundberg said the Yemenis were holding the detainees incommunicado.

Yemeni authorities said on Monday that they had arrested members of an “American-Israeli spy network,” days after detaining the UN and international aid organisations’ staff.

Yemeni intelligence agency chief Major General Abdulhakim al-Khayewani announced the arrests, saying the spy network had first operated out of the US embassy in the capital Sanaa and were continuing to operate “their subversive agenda under the cover of international and UN organisations.”

US Agency for International Development’s Samantha Power said: “These detentions are an affront both to diplomatic norms and to the dedication the individuals have shown to supporting the people of Yemen.” 

The joint statement from the heads of the UN and aid organisations said: “The targeting of humanitarian, human rights, and development workers in Yemen must stop.

“All those detained must be immediately released.”