Houthis crisis thieves: Yemeni coupists raise prices of goods during Ramadan

Ahmed Adel

The revolutionary Houthi militias backed by Iran continued to blackmail the Yemeni people, with the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, as they worked to double the prices of food commodities, with the aim of complicating the humanitarian situation in the country.

Houthi militias have demanded large sums in exchange for goods entering or being subjected to quarantine, instead, causing delayed arrival and high prices.

According to Al-Mashhad al-Yemeni (Yemeni Scene) website, the most prominent reason for the high prices of goods is the terrorist militia’s continued increase in the cost of transportation, which is estimated by economists to have risen by about 300%, which represents a great burden on citizens in various Yemeni governorates.

Prices of food commodities rose by amounts between 1,000 and 5,000 riyals, while the health supplies market in some governorates witnessed successive increases in the prices of disinfectants, sterilizers, and masks, at amounts equivalent to seven times their previous prices.

The Houthi militia also imposed on furniture dealers to make cash and in-kind contributions on the pretext of supplying quarantine centers.

Hundreds of beds and blankets were confiscated as a first payment, and were received by committees affiliated with the Ministry of Health in the Houthi government, which is not recognized internationally.

Last week, the Houthi militia, which is loyal to Iran, imposed royalties on the health sector, claiming to face coronavirus, as the new tax campaign continues at an accelerated pace, targeting health sector employees in various regions.

It seems that the Houthi militia has turned the novel coronavirus into an instrument of blackmail and looting of various vital sectors, as it affected all government and private medical facilities and pharmacies spread in most areas.

Medical sources confirmed that hundreds of hospitals were forced to submit to Houthi pressure and pay financial royalties, ranging from 300,000 and two million riyals.

Houthi leaders also took advantage of the coronavirus crisis, and profited from the manufacture of sterilization tools and protective masks.

According to the Yemen News website, images of Houthi medical devices, including respirators, were recently circulated on the pages of social networking sites, for sale, while technicians confirmed that among the medical devices shown in the circulating images, are related to the heart and breathing.

Sources in the Houthi government’s Ministry of Health indicated that the devices were removed from government health stores, and that they included respirators and other medical equipment.