September at the time of the Houthis ... a celebration of the increasing burden on citizens

English - Monday 21 September 2020 الساعة 04:43 pm
Sanaa, NewsYemen, Exclusive:

 In light of the suffering of citizens and the worsening of living conditions, the collapse of the local currency, the succession of price doses of the prices of foodstuffs and oil derivatives, the spread of diseases and epidemics, the high rates of famine, poverty and unemployment, and the suspension of salaries of state employees, the Houthi militia celebrates in Sana'a and its areas of control what it calls (the September 21 Revolution  This is the sixth anniversary of its armed coup against constitutional legitimacy in September 2014.

On account of a price dose in the prices of oil derivatives (4 thousand for 20 liters of petrol/ 3900 riyals for 20 liters of diesel), approved by the Government of National Accord (government in a symposium) in late July 2014, the coup of the Houthi militia came in the form of pro-citizens protests and rejecting the dose, where government has responded then and reduced 500 riyals, before the Houthi militia seized state institutions and announced the so-called constitutional declaration.

While the Houthi militia decided at the time to set the price of gasoline and diesel 2,700 riyals, for a capacity of 20 liters, this decision remained a dead letter, as the series of dosing began with the disappearance of oil derivatives from the official stations, to initiate the stage of the black market phenomenon,where in October of 2015  Official filling stations started to sell fuel at black market prices (8-10 thousand for a 20-liter).

Today, September 21, 2020, citizens in Sanaa and its neighboring governorates are still suffering from long queues in front of oil derivatives stations, hoping to obtain 20 liters to run their vehicles at an official price of 5900 riyals for gasoline and 6900 riyals for diesel.

The black market is still widely spread in the streets and intersections of the capital, Sanaa. Indeed, most filling stations have begun to sell oil derivatives at black market prices ranging between 9,000 to 12,000 riyals for a 20-liter of petrol.

Even when the global dollar price declined against the local currency, and oil prices plummeted at the end of 2019, to their lowest level, the prices of oil derivatives in Sanaa and neighboring governorates remained above the purchasing power of citizens.

With what it called a reduction, the Houthi militia decided at the time to fix the price of gasoline for a 20-liter container at 10,000 riyals, and diesel for a 20-liter container at 10.600 riyals, an increase of 100% over international prices, despite the dollar's decline by 40% from the previous price.

It considered fixing prices at these astronomical figures (generous and taking into account the conditions of citizens), while the global price of gasoline and diesel, according to the exchange rate at the time, did not exceed 5,000 Yemeni riyals.

In September 2018, the Houthi militia had approved a new price dose in the prices of oil derivatives, which decided to raise the price of gasoline for a 20-liter container to 11,500 riyals, and diesel for a 20-liter container to 11,600 riyals. However, the filling stations were quick to raise the prices to between  12- 14 thousand riyals for a 20-liter container.

This dose was considered the 13th dose since the armed coup of the Houthi militia on September 21, 2014, as part of its continuous and deadly doses to abuse the citizens in the governorates under their control.