Houthis detain 10 more Yemeni UN staffers

Yemen's Houthis on Thursday detained 10 United Nations local staffers, the world body said, in the latest raid on its employees, targeted by the rebels for years.

The Houthis have harassed and detained dozens of UN staff and aid workers in the past years, accusing them of spying for the United States and Israel -- charges that carry the death penalty in Yemen, and that the UN has sharply rejected.

The rebels have stepped up such arrests since the start of the Gaza war more than two years ago, and more recently, after Israeli strikes wiped out nearly half of the rebel government including the prime minister in August.

"We can confirm the arbitrary detention today of 10 UN staff members by the Houthi de facto authorities in Sanaa, bringing the total number of UN detainees to 69," said Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The UN confirmed the staff were all Yemenis.

The latest arrests came days after Guterres discussed detained UN, diplomatic and NGO staff with the Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman, which has served as a mediator in neighbouring Yemen's conflict.

Last week, Guterres said some of the arrested employees had been transferred to a special Houthi court, urging the rebels to go back on their decision and to release them.

The Houthis have used their judicial system to target NGOs, journalists and opponents.

Last month, a Houthi court sentenced 17 people to death by firing squad on charges of spying for Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia, according to rebel media.

In mid-September, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen was transferred from Sanaa to Aden, the seat of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government.

Ten years of civil war have plunged Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, according to the UN.