By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-10-03

The Houthi group’s systematic escalation of hostilities and detention of aid workers have pushed Yemen further into crisis, worsening what is already one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies.

In a September 15 briefing to the UN Security Council, Special Envoy Hans Grundberg said Yemen’s turmoil can not be separated from its regional context, describing the country as "a mirror and a magnifier for the region’s volatility."

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher highlighted the staggering toll: about 17 million Yemenis already face food insecurity, and another million could slip into acute hunger by February.

Yemen now ranks as the third most food insecure country in the world.

Civilian suffering

"The Houthis, with Iranian support, have undermined the chances of regional deescalation through a systematic escalation of hostilities, including attacks targeting civilian facilities and commercial vessels," said Fares al-Najjar, an economic adviser to the Yemeni president’s office.

"These actions have led to a rise in fuel prices and disruption of food production, which has exacerbated the livelihood crisis," he added.

Al-Najjar said that 21 million Yemenis now need urgent assistance – 17 million at Phase 3 food insecurity and another 6 million at Phase 4, meaning they can not obtain even one daily meal.

"The Houthis are directly responsible for the continuation of the war by targeting civilians with shelling, missiles, and drones, and destroying infrastructure, which has deepened the economic and service collapse," said Fahmi al-Zubairi, director general of the human rights office in Sanaa.

Al-Zubairi accused the group of weaponizing hunger.

"The Houthis are using starvation as a weapon of war, obstructing the arrival of food aid, or plundering it to divert to the battlefronts or sell on the black market," he said.

Obstructing relief through detentions

Compounding the emergency, the Houthis have detained more than 40 UN staff members -- one of whom died in custody -- despite international calls for their immediate release and for guarantees of safe humanitarian access.

"The Houthis kidnapped approximately 23 international employees in 2021, one of whom died under torture," Deputy Minister of Justice Faisal al-Majeedi told Al-Fassel. "

In August, they kidnapped 19 other employees, including a Jordanian employee," he said.

"These practices have forced the suspension of several UN agencies’ operations since January, including halting aid in Saada province in February," he added.

"This has tragically deprived millions of Yemenis of critical food and health aid," al-Majeedi said.

With humanitarian space shrinking and violence intensifying, experts warned Yemen’s suffering will deepen unless the Houthis release detained aid workers, end their attacks on civilians, and allow relief efforts to reach those in desperate need.