Houthi militia bankrolls war by looting Yemenis’ properties

Ahmed Addel

In order to finance war, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia carries on with its endeavors to loot properties and humanitarian aid sent to the Yemeni people.

The militia has conducted house numbering in Al Hudaydah, west of Yemen, claiming that they would offer people relief aid. Soon, it was found out that the houses were already empty; people abandoned them and ran away from war.

On October 9, the Houthis used excessive force to drive people out of their houses in different parts of Al Hudaydah, west Yemen, so that the militia could be stationed there, following several raids by the Yemeni and Arab coalition that aimed to retake the city. However, people did not obey and refused to leave their homes for the Houthis. The militia retaliated, and many people stayed were killed.

Earlier in July, the Houthis welcomed the displaced from Al Hudaydah in Sana’a, with he aim of seizing their houses, and the humanitarian assistance they were supposed to receive.

The militia uses the headquarter of the executive unit for managing the displaced camps in Sana’a -which it had taken on September 21, 2014 – for looting the aid sent by the international organizations and distribute them on their supporters, fully neglecting the sufferings of the Yemeni people who bore the blunt of the war.

Observers and rightists have warned the displaced Yemenis against dealing with the new body created by the Houthis, whose main aim was to seize all the humanitarian and relief aid for themselves.

On its part, Amnesty International expressed fears that the fierce fighting between the Yemeni forces and the militia would lead to displacing tens of thousands of civilians from Al Hudaydah.

The Houthi militia is  repositioning itself in Al Hudaydah, pursuing oppression to force people to abandon their houses, which the militia would later loot, Ali al-Sarari, political and media adviser to Yemen’s Prime Minister, told Al Marjie (The Reference).

They have almost fully controlled Al Hudaydah, which is of strategic importance for them, as it receives the largest amounts of international aid that arrive at the port, he said.

The Premier advisor added that the major aim behind the forced displacement is to seize the empty houses and turn Al Hudaydah into a fortress that could be later used in the war against the Yemeni forces and the Arab coalition.

Al-Sarari noted the Houhtis use the wealth they obtained from looting properties  to finance their war against the Yemeni forces and the coalition.