Electricity service in Hodeidah in the hot summer.. Houthi trade in looting and torture of residents

English - Sunday 05 June 2022 الساعة 08:59 am
Hodeidah - NewsYemen:

The electricity service in the city of Hodeidah and the districts under the control of the terrorist Houthi militia, Iran’s arm in Yemen, has turned into a trade and a means to loot public money and torture the population, especially in light of the rising temperatures with the advent of summer.

A number of citizens expressed their anger and resentment over the increasing power outages in militia-controlled areas during this period, noting that this suffering is repeated every summer.

Citizens and activists recall that the Houthi militia and its unrecognized government established during the past five years three funds under the allegations of establishing power stations and supporting Hodeidah electricity, the most recent of which was last year with the aim of establishing a solar-powered electric station.  She claimed the establishment of a fund to support Hodeidah electricity and deducted 5 riyals for electricity for every liter of petroleum derivatives arriving at the port of Hodeidah.  Its total proceeds are tens of billions that did not go to subsidize electricity, while the collection is still valid in the pockets of the group's leaders.

A number of citizens told NewsYemen that the escalating frequency of power outages is unjustified, and did not take into account the suffering of citizens, women and children in light of the severe heat wave this summer.

They added that the electricity remains cut off for most of the residents all day, except for three hours, while the hotline has become the monopoly of Houthi leaders and senior merchants, so they do not care about people's suffering.

They explained that they have become in a position of helplessness in the face of the collapse of electricity bills carrying large sums, as a result of the Houthi militia's privatization of government power stations and the increase in their tariff prices, in conjunction with the sharp increase in the value of the monthly bill during the past three months with the sharp rise in temperatures, and the necessary requirements for this.  Consumers stay in their homes for long periods of time, as they are forced to operate air conditioners and fans for long periods of time, which in turn contributed to an increase in consumption, and thus higher bills.

Human rights activist Mujahid al-Qub said, “Al-Houthi practices the worst forms of torture against the residents of the city of Hodeidah. The steam station did not stop for a moment, even though the city’s residents are deprived of electricity. The water is almost cut off from the city’s neighborhoods.”

He added, "Al-Houthi considers the city's residents that they do not deserve life. He exercises oppression, abuse and terrorism against them."

Activist Bassam Janani asked: “Where are the promises made by the Governor of Hodeidah - appointed by the Houthis - Muhammad Ayesh Qahim, who signed in September of the year 2020 on that day for “experience” the handover report of a 16 million square meter plot of land in the Salif district to establish a coal power plant project with a capacity  obstetric thousand mega”.

He continued, "We did not see electricity, no works in the project, no coal, no ground, and there was no return... Its days were inhospitable. He was ready to sell anything you could imagine, even himself, in order to give him a decision to appoint a governor instead of a charge d'affaires," he said.

Activists and human rights activists launched a solidarity campaign with the residents of Hodeidah and its districts under the hashtag: (# Hodeidah_City_Corrupted), calling on the Houthi de facto authority to stop the suffering of the population and restore electricity prices as they were before, and stop the deliberate torture of the people and the frequent power cuts in light of the severe heat wave.

Many citizens see that electricity has turned from a service to a trade, demanding the need to find radical solutions to relieve their suffering, in light of their inability to pay high electricity bills in light of the Houthis confiscation of their salaries for the seventh year in a row and the loss of most of them sources of income as a result of the war.