A World Food Program employee has died in Yemen while being held captive by Houthi rebel forces, the organization announced this week.

According to the WFP, an aid agency within the United Nations, the staff member had worked in the region since 2017 and was one of the seven WFP workers currently detained by the Iran-backed rebel group. The employee, identified only as “Ahmed,” is survived by his wife and two children. 

“Heartbroken and outraged by the tragic loss of @WFP team member, Ahmed, who lost his life while arbitrarily detained in Yemen,” WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said in an X post.  “A devoted humanitarian and father of 2, he played a crucial role in our mission to deliver lifesaving food assistance.”

Neither the WFP nor the United Nations have commented on how the man died. 

The detained WFP workers were first captured on Jan. 23 and were detained in Houthi-controlled northern Yemen. The detainees joined a collection of captured foreign aid employees, including eight other U.N. personnel. 

Around 60 international aid employees, including those from the U.N. and foreign embassies, are currently detained in Yemen. 

The staffer’s death comes just days after U..N authorities announced they would pause all operations in the Houthi-controlled regions of northern Yemen over safety concerns. Still, UN officials said they are actively negotiating for the release of all U.N. employees. 

Human rights organizations have raised concerns about the treatment of humanitarian aid workers in the region since civil war broke out in the region in 2017. Since then, Houthi rebels have been accused of kidnapping, detaining and torturing foreign workers. 

The issue intensified last year when rebels detained over 60 foreign workers representing non-governmental organizations, embassies and the U.N. The Houthis at the time announced that the arrests were part of an effort to destroy an “American-Israeli spy network,” a claim the world body has rejected.

Yemen’s humanitarian crisis is considered one of the most severe in the world, with nearly 5 million people displaced since civil war broke out in 2017.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.