Dubai: Five staff members of the International Medical Corps and two contracted drivers were safely released on Sunday, the aid organisation said, a day after announcing their detention by Iran-backed Al Houthi rebels.
The seven — all “locally hired” — had been at a hotel in the central province of Ibb when they were detained, the US-based non-governmental organisation said in a statement.
International Medical Corps did not say for how long the aid workers had been held or provide details on the circumstances of their release.
The organisation’s website says it has more than 150 local staff in Yemen and that it has operated since 2012 in the war-torn country.
It says its relief efforts provide a lifeline for families in the rebel-held capital and in Ibb, as well as the flashpoint southwestern city of Taiz, and Aden and Lahj in the south.
Al Houthi rebels have intercepted 63 ships and 223 convoys carrying humanitarian aid to areas under their control since ejecting President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi from Sana’a in early 2015.
Rebels seize relief ships immediately after docking at Hodeidah and Saleef seaports and divert supplies to their fighters battling government forces across Yemen.
Hundreds of trucks transporting vital medicines, tents and food heading to rebel-held territories have also been seized by Al Houthis and goods sold in the black market.
Al Houthis have also abducted 30 aid workers from areas under their control, including several Norwegian Refugee Council staff, in the Red Sea city of Hodeidah.
The harassment of aid workers and interception of humanitarian convoys by Al Houthis is causing famine in areas under their control.
The impact of Al Houthis’ seizure of aid convoys can be seen in Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city, where local aid organisations and health officials say the population of the city is facing starvation.
Tens of thousands of people, including women and children, are paying a heavy price for Al Houthis’ two-year-long siege of the city.
Vital food staples are scarce and expensive as local merchants use the dangerous mountain routes to bringing in their goods to the city.
Taiz has become the scene of bloodiest clashes between government forces and Iran-backed Al Houthis that killed hundreds of people and injured thousands others, according to local and international right groups.
After failing to take control of the city’s downtown, Al Houthis imposed a siege on Taiz, banning people from leaving or entering areas under their control.
Last year, government forces partially broke Al Houthi siege after taking control of the western entrance of the city and secured a road that connects Taiz city to the port.
But wary local aid workers said international organisations refuse to use the liberated road out of fear of being attacked by Al Houthis and continue to send aid convoys from Sana’a through Al Houthi-manned checkpoints.