Five United Nations staff abducted in southern Yemen

Published: February 13, 2022 11:36:51 | Updated: February 13, 2022 15:48:14

A United Nations logo is seen on a glass door in the Assembly Building at the United Nations headquarters in New York City September 18, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Five United Nations staff have been abducted in southern Yemen while returning to Aden after a field mission, the United Nations said on Saturday.

The staff were abducted on Friday in the Governorate of Abyan, said Russell Geekie, spokesman for the top UN official in Yemen, reports Reuters.

"The United Nations is in close contact with the authorities to secure their release," Geekie said.

A Saudi-led military coalition has been fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen since 2015.

The coalition intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015 after the Houthis ousted the government from the capital, Sanaa. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions, causing a dire humanitarian crisis.