A senior United Nations official pushed the chief negotiator of the Houthi movement for an independent investigation into the death of a UN staff member held in militia custody.
Deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq stated on Wednesday that Muin Shreim travelled to Muscat between November 8 and November 10. Shreim leads regional UN outreach concerning the arbitrary detention of personnel. During his visit, Shreim held discussions with several senior Omani officials alongside Mohammed Abdulsalam, who leads the Houthi negotiating delegation based in Oman.
Haq explained that the mission formed part of diplomatic efforts to secure the release of UN personnel arbitrarily detained by the Houthi authorities in Yemen.
Shreim specifically addressed the recent death in detention of Mohammed El-Shami, a Yemeni national who worked for the UN Human Rights Office. He insisted on an independent, transparent and thorough investigation into the incident.
The UN envoy also urged the militia to permit every detained staff member to contact their families without delay. He stressed the necessity of maintaining regular communication lines.
Shreim required reliable information regarding the safety and health of all detainees, particularly those suffering from serious medical conditions. He demanded that prisoners receive necessary medical care, including specialised treatment, and called for the urgent release of any individual whose health demanded immediate attention.
Shreim confirmed that the UN would maintain diplomatic engagement with relevant those involved until every arbitrarily detained worker regained freedom.
The Houthis had held El-Shami in detention since June 6, 2024. The UN made public his death on October 31, stating that he had passed away more than a month prior, though his family received notification only recently.
According to the UN, the militia provided no information regarding his well-being, offered no proof of life during his imprisonment, and failed to supply a cause of death or the precise date he died. A Yemeni government minister alleged that El-Shami suffered torture leading to death inside a Houthi facility.
The organisation also demanded the immediate return of El-Shami’s body to his family. El-Shami marked the second UN worker to die in Houthi custody, following the death of a World Food Programme employee in February 2025.
Approximately 70 UN personnel, alongside former workers and staff from civil society organisations and aid groups, remain locked in Houthi detention. All detained UN employees are Yemeni nationals.
