Ramadan is black for the residents of Sana'a... hunger, fear and humiliation
English - Sunday 02 April 2023 الساعة 08:34 pm
Sana'a, NewsYemen, exclusive:
Imposing levies and royalties, clamping down on merchants, obstructing relief projects, and looting private property. These are simple signs of what the residents of the governorates under the control of the Houthi militia, Iran's arm in Yemen, have been experiencing since the start of the holy month of Ramadan.
As usual, the Houthi militia takes advantage of the month of Ramadan, in order to escalate its violations and crimes against citizens living in its areas of control, and to turn this month into a port for collecting levies, imposing royalties, looting property and preventing the delivery of aid to the poor and needy. Not to mention the tightening of the screws on the people in places of worship, the mobilization of more fighters, and other arbitrary measures that affect citizens.
levies under the category of zakat
During the current month of Ramadan, the Houthi militia developed a plan that includes the acquisition of all zakat banks, by sending letters and circulars demanding citizens, merchants and all those charged with paying zakat and handing over the sums they owe in favor of the so-called "General Authority of Zakat" affiliated to them, which they established in order to control the Zakat funds, although there is a government agency accredited to collect these funds known as the "Zakat Duties Department".
According to Houthi statements, the revenues of zakat in Sanaa only during the year 2021 AD amounted to four billion and 122 million and 249 thousand riyals, an increase from the year 2020 AD by an amount of one billion and 770 million and 465 thousand riyals. These funds were transferred to bank accounts managed by prominent Houthi leaders under the cover of the "General Authority for Zakat".
A Sana'a merchant told "Newsyemen": We were surprised by Houthi supervisors informing us that the payment of zakat for this year will go to their zakat authority, and that legal measures will be taken against those who refuse, indicating that for many years he has been handing over his zakat to the "Duties Department." Zakat" being the official government agency authorized to do so.
He pointed out that Houthi supervisors regularly and continuously go to merchants, markets and shops in order to demand that they quickly pay zakat or be subjected to procedures against them, including imprisonment and the closure of the commercial establishment, leading to the confiscation of funds by force.
God loves the doers of good.".. a new collection
With the advent of the month of Ramadan, the Houthi militia is innovating many ways and methods in order to take the money of citizens and merchants under several names. The last of these methods was the launch of the campaign "And God loves the doers of good."
Citizens in the Tahrir Directorate in central Sana'a told "NewsYemen": Houthi elements began distributing leaflets to citizens in mosques and residential neighborhoods and to shop owners and merchants, asking them to contribute and pay money for the success of the "God loves the benefactors" campaign, explaining that the Houthis are exploiting religious slogans from To impose levies and royalties and plunder the remaining funds of citizens whose salaries have been looted and deprived of them for years since the invasion of Sana’a in 2015.
The militias were not satisfied with collection campaigns, but began a bargaining process to obtain the largest amount of money. Where Houthi supervisors in several residential neighborhoods in Sana'a distribute empty envelopes to citizens' homes, and ask them to put sums of money in those envelopes before they return to receive them.
Hajj Omar Abu "Mubarak" told "NewsYemen", I am a resident of Hael Al-Mashahour Street in Sana'a, and I am an employee and I have no main source of income other than my salary that has been cut off for years. I was surprised when armed elements came to my house and demanded that I put money in the envelope that they were distributing. And since I had nothing, I could not pay any amount, which prompted the Houthi supervisors to prevent me from obtaining a gas cylinder that was intended for me on the distribution list.
A number of citizens in the same neighborhood indicated that the Houthi supervisors began to bargain with the citizens, "paying royalties in the envelope in exchange for obtaining a gas cylinder," explaining that the campaign to collect royalties is supervised by local councils and supervisory committees affiliated with the militia in Sana'a and residential neighborhoods.
Hunger is a Houthi weapon
Many poor and needy families in the Houthi regions are eagerly awaiting the month of Ramadan, as they receive simple financial aid and food baskets that satisfy their hunger during this holy month. Many merchants and philanthropists are active in relief initiatives and projects and the distribution of aid that alleviates the suffering of hundreds of thousands of families in militia-controlled areas.
Since the beginning of the current Ramadan, Iran's arm has imposed more stringent restrictions. To prevent merchants and philanthropists from distributing aid to the poor in areas under its control. Houthi teams confiscated tons of food aid intended for the poor and needy before it was distributed by some philanthropists and merchants, in addition to carrying out a campaign of arbitrary arrests on charges of doing good and donating to poor and needy families.
Despite UN and international warnings that millions of Yemenis are at risk of catastrophic hunger, the Houthi militia continues to fight relief work and impede aid from reaching the neediest groups.
A number of beneficiaries in Sana'a told "NewsYemen": It is customary for merchants, philanthropists and well-known businessmen to distribute food aid and zakat to a large number of needy and poorest families. However, this year the militias prevented the distribution process, and demanded that merchants or any party intending to distribute aid hand it over to them to handle the disbursement process. Where it is content to deliver aid to militia members or their loyalists, under the pretext that they are the most deserving of aid and depriving the rest of the needy groups.
According to security information, the militias have arrested more than 13 merchants and philanthropists in Sana'a and its environs since the beginning of Ramadan. On charges of exceeding instructions and providing aid to the poor. The militias forced the detained merchants and philanthropists to pay many times the amounts allocated to the poor, as fines for violating their instructions and not handing over Ramadan aid.
Houthi violations in Ramadan prompted many merchants, businessmen and philanthropists to stop providing any aid to the needy in light of the escalation of Houthi looting and restrictions, which deprived many needy families who were waiting for aid to satisfy their hunger.
The situation is scary
The Houthis continued to restrict the distribution of humanitarian aid in their areas of control, exacerbating the situation of families at risk of starvation, and also increasing the cycle of food insecurity, and reducing humanitarian response projects aimed at alleviating the crisis that haunts millions of people.
In its recent statement, Oxfam International confirmed that the Yemeni economy is collapsing rapidly, in light of the alarming increase in the prices of fuel and other basic commodities. "All of this leaves millions of Yemenis facing the risk of catastrophic hunger, with more than 17 million people still suffering from high levels of food insecurity (75 per cent of them women and children"), it added.
The organization stated: "The Yemeni people are exhausted from the war, and the high prices of food, unpaid salaries, and other factors undermine access to basic foodstuffs within the reach of many Yemenis."
