Today's Edition
AHMED ATEF (ADEN)
Yemen will continue to be in need of humanitarian assistance by October 2024, with its food security crisis showing no signs of abating, according to a report from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).
The report revealed that the number of Yemenis facing severe food insecurity is projected to reach 18 million by October - over half the population.
Overall, the report forecasted an increase in food insecurity among the nations monitored by FEWS NET, totalling 130 million people. Of these, 10% are in Yemen, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Ethiopia.
Factors exacerbating the food security crisis in Yemen include economic decline, reduced purchasing power, limited job opportunities, and rising food prices.
The report also highlighted that areas under Houthi control could see an escalation of food insecurity, potentially being categorised as “emergency” levels (IPC 4) by October due to the World Food Programme’s suspended activities there.
It called on the international community to bolster humanitarian aid to Yemen to mitigate the escalating food security crisis and avert a widespread humanitarian disaster.
Furthermore, experts and analysts have exposed extensive corruption within the Houthi group, including their accumulation of wealth through taxing traders and plundering Yemeni assets.
Yasser Abu Omar, a Yemeni security expert, told Aletihad that the Houthis have systematically amassed significant wealth to support their destructive agenda in Yemen.
According to Abu Omar, the group has diverted resources to their leaders from various sources, including taxes, service fees, and the exploitation of oil and other investment opportunities.
He added that for approximately seven years, the Houthis have withheld salaries from Yemenis, appropriated state treasury funds, and commandeered revenues from telecommunications, internet services, taxes, customs, and more to consolidate their power within the country.
Recent protests in Yemen have grown in response to the Houthi’s corruption and oppressive practices, as the country grapples with deteriorating services, land seizures, fuel price manipulations, and the concealment of detainees in multiple provinces under Houthi control.
In addition, Yemeni political analyst Fares Al Bayl, in statements to Aletihad, noted that Houthi leaders have rapidly become major real estate holders in the capital, Sana’a, amassing significant liquid assets while the populace faces severe hunger and extreme poverty.
Al Bayl highlighted that the Houthi’s actions have attracted the scrutiny of the Yemeni public, particularly since their takeover of Sana’a led to hikes in petroleum prices and the looting of the Central Bank of Yemen’s funds.
He underscored that the Houthis generate approximately $8 billion annually from taxes, alongside other revenues from widespread looting and extortion under the guise of war efforts, according to United Nations estimates.
