The Houthis have detained nine more UN staff, bringing the total number of those held hostage to 53, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said in a statement released by the UN press office.
The UN Secretary-General condemns such actions by the rebels and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of those detained.
Fighting between government forces and supporters of the Ansar Allah movement has been ongoing in Yemen since August 2014. It reached its most active phase in March 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition joined the conflict. The civil war in Yemen has led to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. According to the UN, over 24 million Yemenis, or approximately 80% of the country's population, are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the number of internally displaced persons exceeds 4 million.