Battle of Marib: Will the Houthis or government reach the finish line first?

Aya Ezz

The Yemeni national army, with the support of the tribal youth in Marib governorate in eastern Yemen, was able to fight fierce battles against the Houthis in the governorate for more than a week, and during that period the terrorist militia suffered great human and material losses.

The army confirmed that the Houthis had suffered major setbacks on the southern front in Marib, and the army and popular resistance forces had thwarted a scheme by which the militias were seeking to control new sites in the south of the governorate, according to a statement by the Yemeni army.

In addition to these losses, three Houthi patrols were destroyed, including their equipment, on the Harib front, south of the oil-rich governorate of Marib.

In those battles, the fighters of the Saudi-led Arab coalition participated in launching a series of strikes targeting gatherings and reinforcements belonging to the Houthis in separate locations on the fronts of the governorate.

Support and steadfastness from tribes

Most of the tribes in Marib reject the Houthi control of their governorate, especially since the militia has been besieging the Abdiyah district from all directions for a week in an attempt to recruit the people of this district, but the tribes have refused to surrender until this moment, according to the statement of the Yemeni army.

The Rights Radar organization had warned of the unfortunate deterioration of the humanitarian situation for more than 5,000 families who have been besieged by the Houthis for half a month in Abdiyah in southern Marib.

Among the most famous tribes that supported the Yemeni army and withstood the Houthis were the Murad, Ubaidah, Al-Jadaan, Bani Abd and Bani Jabr.

Dividing Marib’s wealth

Yemeni political analyst Abdul Hamid al-Mughazi said that the Houthis aim to divide all Marib’s wealth with the legitimate government, especially since the government is famous for its oil and gas.

In an exclusive statement to the Reference, Mughazi confirmed that the Houthis want the battle of Marib to put pressure on Saudi Arabia, especially since the Kingdom presented an initiative in March to solve the crisis in the governorate. The militia wants to pressure Saudi Arabia to make it recognize them as a group representing the Yemeni people and to force the Kingdom to waive some conditions.

In the end, Mughazi believes that the battle of Marib represents the end stage for the legitimate Yemeni government, because it is the only governorate that was not controlled by the militia.