At a time when the UN Security Council extended the work of the international monitoring mission in Hodeidah for a new year, and criticized the economic war and Houthi violations against civilians in its last (Monday) session, the coup militia escalated its violations against civilians in its areas of control, as well as its provocations to government forces on various fronts. .
Less than hours have passed since the Security Council report was issued. Who accused the militia of seeking to destroy the Yemeni economy until the collapse of the Yemeni currency worsened, despite government efforts and continuous Saudi support to preserve it, as the exchange rate of the dollar reached 1,500 Yemeni riyals, while the Saudi riyal reached 400 Yemeni riyals.
In blatant defiance of efforts to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, the head of the so-called “revolutionary coup committee,” Mohammed al-Houthi, acknowledged that his militias were behind the collapse of the currency and waged an economic war against the Yemeni people in various provinces. He said in tweets on his Twitter account: “His militias are committed to stopping this war and returning the price of the Yemeni riyal to its official position against the dollar within a short period, provided that the financial cycle is restored through Sana’a and the revenues are handed over to the putschists.”
In this context, the economist Faris al-Najjar told Okaz that the Houthi economic war must be faced with a severe war from the Yemeni government, which should show its fangs by issuing decisions to confront the economic war. Including stopping imports through the port of Hodeidah and returning to implement Resolution No. 75 regarding the import of oil derivatives and legalizing the import process, so that it is only done through legitimate areas and official outlets. He stressed the need to issue strict penalties against commercial entities and personalities. Which works for the benefit of Al-Houthi, addressing economic imbalances and continuing the reform process, especially with regard to taxes for large taxpayers, the communications sector, combating tax evasion, controlling and collecting revenues, and directing them to their main receptacles. Al-Najjar attributed the collapse of the Yemeni currency to fabricated reasons by the militia and speculative forces in the market, in addition to the rumors planted by the Houthis. He stressed that the stability of the national currency, throughout the past period, is due to the continuous Saudi support for the Yemeni currency. Either through direct support to the Central Bank with a deposit of one billion dollars, or through continuous support for development projects, especially since Saudi Arabia provided 600 million dollars to support oil derivatives, and 400 million dollars to support development projects, and finally he announced projects in Hadramout that cost one billion and 200 million dollars, stressing Had it not been for this support, the situation would have been worse than it is now, in light of the devastating Houthi war on the national economy.
For his part, Houthi parliamentarian Ahmed Saif Hashed accused his militia of standing behind the crisis the Yemeni people are exposed to, stressing that the militia lacks integrity and justice in its dealings with the afflicted citizen, and refuses to submit a report to its parliament on the economic situation and the prices of oil derivatives.
He revealed the existence of staggering corruption in the prices of oil derivatives that it imports through the port of Hodeidah, pointing out that the militia uses the terms of siege and fines to justify its corruption, asking: “Why do you lie, and why do you evade your responsibilities?”
In his briefing to the UN Security Council, the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, warned of the seriousness of the economic and humanitarian situation in Yemen, stressing that the situation is worrisome in light of the ongoing Houthi escalation. He reaffirmed the necessity of opening roads in all Yemeni governorates, ensuring the payment of salaries of state employees, and opening more destinations to and from Sana’a International Airport.
The Yemeni government informed the Security Council of the dangers facing the Yemeni people in light of the economic war, calling for action to stop this war and arbitrary measures against the private sector and banks.
