Economic Institutions, Aid and Response ... Advice to the government to counter the effects of designating al-Houthi a terrorist
English - Thursday 14 January 2021 الساعة 04:05 pm
Aden, NewsYemen, Exclusive:
Specialists in economic affairs called for urgent measures to be taken in the legitimate government areas and the rehabilitation of ports, especially in the capital, Aden, in conjunction with concerns expressed by the United Nations and a number of humanitarian organizations operating in Yemen about the impact of the American decision to include the Houthis as a terrorist organization on the humanitarian situation in Yemen.
Although the US State Department statement, which is scheduled to enter into force on January 19, 2021, indicated that it would take into account the humanitarian file in Yemen and take full measures to avoid any repercussions related to the humanitarian situation; However, Oxfam issued a sharp-worded statement and quoted an official for humanitarian policies in the organization as saying that designating the Houthis as a terrorist group is a dangerous and useless policy that will endanger the innocent.
This statement was met with disapproval by a wide spectrum of journalists, writers and jurists, the most prominent of whom was Hamdan Al-Ali, who led an online campaign with the hashtag #OXFAM_Support_Terrorism. He accused Britain of being responsible for the positions of Oxfam and Save the Children, noting that "the work permit that was granted to these organizations is for charitable humanitarian work and not for recording political positions."
In addition, human rights activists and economists have talked about tightening the screws on humanitarian work in the Houthi-controlled areas, as local and international organizations are prohibited from organizing events, seminars, workshops, training, or holding online meetings without their prior approval and threatening to close it or expel it from the country in the event of non-compliance.
They pointed out that most of the local organizations under the control of the Houthis transferred their bank accounts to Aden months ago due to the Houthi harassment of these organizations, as the situation in the organizations reached the stage of paying fees for each check that they withdraw from their account.
Najeeb Ghallab, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, said that the decision would free international aid from Houthi hegemony and redirect it to people under the supervision of the internationally recognized authority.
Dr. Faris Al-Bail confirmed that Al-Houthi confiscated all banking activity and plundered all resources in the main to avoid the negative effects of the American decision, he suggested that "financial organizations and agencies should deal with the government in Aden ... despite its weakness, it is the state’s vessel and its foundation."
For his part, the representative of Yemen to UNESCO, Dr. Muhammad Jumaih, called in a series of tweets for the rehabilitation of the infrastructure in the city of Aden, including ports, airports, roads and services, as well as the rehabilitation of ports and airports in the liberated areas to receive the movement of goods, aid and travelers, as requirements of the decision to designate the Houthis as a terrorist group, in coordination with the coalition and partners International, to face any consequences that may negatively affect commodity prices in Sana'a and other areas controlled by that terrorist group.
The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Dr. Wa'ed Badeeb, confirmed during a meeting in Aden, Monday, that the government and the Ministry are keen to provide an appropriate and safe work environment and provide the necessary facilities for all international partners in the temporary capital of Aden and other governorates to link and strengthen the relief and development roles and serve citizens in the various governorates of the Republic without Exception.
According to the state-run Sabaa Agency, Badeeb stressed the need to link all donor funds provided for the implementation of humanitarian, service, and development projects to the Ministry of Planning, to assume in turn the responsibility of communicating and coordinating with ministries, local authorities and other official bodies regarding the implementation of external interventions and various projects by international organizations.
The governor of the capital, Ahmed Hamid Lamlas, and since his appointment as governor, held several meetings with international organizations and demanded that they move their headquarters to Aden, stressing the guarantee of their security and their work without political interference.
