UN Condemns Houthi Detentions, Silent on Saudi War
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the Houthi detention of UN staff in Yemen (Al-Monitor), calling for their 'immediate release.' One might wonder where this same level of forceful condemnation was for the Saudi-led, US-backed coalition’s bombing campaign that has killed tens of thousands of Yemeni civilians, created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, and used
American-supplied weapons for over a decade. The Houthis hold UN staff, while the US-Saudi alliance held an entire nation hostage. It appears that 'international law' and ‘humanitarian concerns’ are selectively applied, largely depending on whose geopolitical interests are at stake. Guterres's focus on these detentions, while the architects of Yemen's seven-year starvation blockade and aerial
bombardments face no such rhetorical lashings—and continue to receive unfettered arms sales from the US like those approved for Saudi Arabia in 2021 for $650 million (US Dept. of State)—is a stark illustration of global hypocrisy.