When Hanaa arrived at work a few months ago, she found “drawers and doors shattered and the boss surrounded by security staff.”
Computers, phones, cameras and documents were seized, the boss was arrested, and the banking account of the organization was eventually frozen.
Hanaa works for a non -governmental organization (NGO) that fundes the US, which supports the empowerment of women and training people to solve problems with negotiations.
But the civil war of the country, which lasted more than a decade and created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, made the life of workers of non -governmental organizations more dangerous.
Twenty-four UN employees, together with workers from other local and international non-governmental organizations, have detained rebels in the last few months.
The wave of arrests in January enhanced the climate of fear – one person from the World Food Program that was detained died in custody.
The situation left humanitarian workers, feeling that their freedom of movement was very limited. As a result, many organizations, including the UN, reduce operations, threatens to make life to people who are worse.
Ten years ago, Houthi militants supported by Iranian Iranian view took control of most of the Yemen, including the capital of Sanaa, from the internationally recognized government. Saudi Arabia, since then, has performed intense air attacks on his neighbor – with the logistical and intelligence support of the USA – UK – to try to prevent the Houthhi rebels from taking control of the whole country.
Houthhi officials have searched into the office of Haanae and detained their boss, and she is afraid of retaliation if she speaks. So, for their safety we have changed the names of Hana and others in Yemen, with whom we interviewed this article.
Removing humanitarian workers, Hanaa believes that Houthis aims to spread fear among the public. But what’s deep pain is that the public reacted.
“When I checked social media, it was awful to find out that people saw us as spies,” she says.
The day after her boss was detained, Hanaa was glued to her TV, watching the Pro-Houthho channel emits what he described as a tribute to spies, made by nine local people who once worked in a long-enclosed US Embassy in Sani . They were arrested in 2021.
It was the moment when she was afraid that things would get worse for her, because she worked for a non -governmental organization that finances the US. She decided to leave her home in northern Yemen.
When she reached the south, she felt traumatized. “I couldn’t eat for three days, I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop crying,” she says.
He is now worried that US President Donald Trump’s decision to be reviewed as a terrorist organization could lead them to aiming for everyone who works in the US funding projects.
Once someone has been arrested, it can be difficult for them to get any support, according to the Yemeni lawyer Abdulaziz, who represents 14 detainees. They are behind bars for several months – three are UN staff, while the rest are employed in local non -governmental organizations. “During the first three months of custody, my clients have not communicated with anyone,” he says.
Abdulaziz is increasingly concerned that their accommodation is still unknown. More recently, he has said that his clients have been able to send some short telephone calls to their families. “Every call was between five and 10 minutes,” he explains.
The BBC approached Houthis and asked about their treatment of workers to help but did not get an answer.
In addition to custody, the rescue assistance of the International Development Agency (USAID) of the United States (USAID) paused as a result of the freezing of President Trump about the operations of organization around the world, due to charges of waste and abuse of funds.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) warns that the impact of President Trump and Houthis politics is arbitrary arrests “nothing less than devastating.” This will have a huge and dramatic impact on providing aid in Yemen, “says Nika Jafarnia, researcher Yemen and Bahrain from the organization.
According to HRW, they have now financed about a third of humanitarian aid in Yemen, and much is through USAIDs. Between 2015 and 2021, he secured more than $ 3.6 billion, making him the largest single charity donor of the humanitarian aid in the country, according to the UN.
“Cutting help would be our death sentence,” Amal warns, mother for nine years. He lives in a camp for internal displaced people in northern Yemen, along with thousands of other families.
Even over the phone, it is clear what the heavy burden of this woman is. Her slow speech is burdened with emotions. It’s been almost 10 years since she lost home.
Amal independently supported his huge family. Her husband has acute asthma, so she can’t work. The family had to escape in their hometown in the north after the conflict began.
Since then, their lives are increasingly unkind. The camp, on the barren desert land, barely reminds the home. Their only shelter is the worn plastic tent, without chairs or beds. It is difficult to find a joy to her children in a place that lacks almost everything.
“If this supply line is provided by non -governmental organizations, my children can die. We have no work, no income, nothing,” Amal adds.
About half of the population is in poor need for humanitarian aid, including almost 10 million children, according to the UN charity UN. The UN Human Development Index cites Yemen as one of the 10 least developed countries in the world.
Amal tells us to receive a monthly food basket from the UN World Food (WFP) UN program, but it barely takes two weeks. When they run out of food, she says she is the only opportunity to leave the camp and go out on praying to the city streets. Passes restaurants and shops, hoping for several bread or rice packages.
“I’m covered with shame, but should I leave my children to starve? I’m completely helpless,” Amal explains. Helplessness often takes its toll on it. “I cry a lot when I realize I don’t have a little thing,” her voice is also angry and bitter.
A large number of children suffer from diarrhea and pneumonia due to poor hygiene, malnutrition and miserable living conditions, but adequate drugs are rarely available.
At the Northern Yemen Clinic, shelves where medicines should be empty. The staff told us that the medical stock they have is nothing compared to people’s needs.
The BBC contacted UNL, seeking comment on the current process of distribution of assistance and recent arrests, but did not receive an answer.
However, addressing the UN Security Council, Hans Grundberg, a Special Envoy of the UN for Yemen, condemned the detention of his staff as “not only a violation of fundamental human rights, but also a direct threat to the UN ability to distribute the most needed to distribute.” He also called for the current liberation of all detainees, either from the UN or from other local and international non -governmental organizations.
Just for families like Amal Hana and her associates, they try to improve their lives.
He proudly remembers sending girls to school in one of the conservative northern areas. When parents complained that neighbors could see their daughters during the interruption, “We held discussions between the inhabitants and eventually agreed to cover the playground so that the girls could go back to class,” she explains.
She fears that the absence of this support, due to fear and lack of funds, could increase the rates of illiteracy. “We are the only ones who survived during the collapse of the state, to serve the people,” Hanaa says with a sigh.
The names of Hanaa, Abdulaziz and Amal have been changed for this article.
