UN reduces operations in Yemen amid Houthi crackdown News
Wolfmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
UN reduces operations in Yemen amid Houthi crackdown

The United Nations has curtailed its humanitarian activities in Yemen due to severe restrictions imposed by Houthi authorities. This adjustment follows a crackdown on aid workers and escalating security concerns in areas controlled by the Houthis. The UN has shifted its focus to essential life-saving operations, reducing its broader development initiatives in response to these challenges.

Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, highlighted a need for “the parties to respect international humanitarian law – by immediately releasing our detained colleagues, protecting civilians and humanitarian workers, and facilitating unimpeded humanitarian access.”

In June, Houthis detained over 60 personnel affiliated with the UN and other international organizations. Shortly after, Houthis claimed to have uncovered a so-called “American-Israeli spy network,” though these allegations remain unverified. The UN has strongly rejected these claims, emphasizing that such accusations endanger staff and obstruct crucial humanitarian efforts.

In August, the situation worsened when Houthi forces conducted a raid on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights office in Sana’a, seizing critical documents and electronic equipment. Reports reveal that since June, the Houthis have abducted more than 85 employees from various aid organizations, including several women.

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is rapidly worsening. Approximately 62% of households are now experiencing severe food shortages. Certain districts in Hodeidah and Taiz are facing extreme levels of malnutrition, with famine conditions imminent. Projections suggest that by the end of the year, over 600,000 children in government-controlled areas will suffer from acute malnutrition, representing a 34% increase from the previous year.

Despite these dire needs, the UN’s appeal for $2.7 billion in humanitarian aid for Yemen is only 28% funded.The UN has urged immediate financial support and safe access for humanitarian workers to address the crisis.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Nuremberg race laws went into effect in Nazi Germany

On September 15, 1935, the Nuremberg Laws of Nazi Germany became effective, racially defining German citizenship and making Jews outcasts. The Reich Health Office issued the following chart in 1936 to assist in ascertaining the "admissibility of marriage between Aryans and non-Aryans." White circles represented on the chart are "pure Germans" while the circles with black indicate the proportion of Jewish heritage. Review the Nuremberg Laws on Citizenship, German Blood and German Honor, and Hereditary Health.

KKK bombs Alabama Church

On September 15, 1963, members of the Klu Klux Klan bombed a predominantly African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. The blast at the 16th Street Baptist Church killed four young girls and injured twenty other people. Despite an investigation by the FBI, no one was charged with responsibility for the crime until Robert Chambliss was convicted of murder in 1977. His accomplices, Thomas Blaton, Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherry, were not tried and convicted until about twenty-five years later. Learn more about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and the trials of Blanton and Cherry from NPR.

Nuremberg Laws went into effect in Nazi Germany

On September 15, 1935, the Nuremberg Laws of Nazi Germany became effective, racially defining German citizenship and making Jews outcasts. The Reich Health Office issued the following chart in 1936 to assist in ascertaining the "admissibility of marriage between Aryans and non-Aryans": white circles represent on the chart are "pure Germans", while the circles with black indicate the proportion of Jewish blood.

Review the Laws for Protection of the German Race on Citizenship, German Blood and German Honor, and Hereditary Health.