Expressing Profound Relief, Secretary-General Hails Release of Five Abducted United Nations Department for Safety and Security Personnel in Yemen

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General is delighted to learn of the release of Akm Sufiul Anam, Mazen Bawazir, Bakeel al-Mahdi, Mohammed al-Mulaiki and Khaled Mokhtar Sheikh, the five United Nations Department for Safety and Security personnel who had been kidnapped in Yemen on 11 February 2022.  Available information suggests that all five colleagues are in good health.

The Secretary-General is profoundly relieved that their ordeal and the anxiety of their families and friends have finally come to an end. 

The Secretary-General reiterates that kidnapping is an inhumane and unjustifiable crime and calls for the perpetrators to be held accountable.  He also expresses his solidarity with other people still held against their will in Yemen.