The Houthi war robs the citizens of the joy of Eid

English - Wednesday 27 April 2022 الساعة 01:13 pm
Sana'a, NewsYemen, Jalal Muhammad:

 For the eighth year in a row, Sanaa residents receive the blessed Eid al-Fitr, in light of the horrors of war and Houthi abuses.

The government employee, Muhammad Saleh, said that they are completely powerless in the face of meeting the needs of their families and children, even at a minimum, as the Houthi terrorist militia has flooded its areas of control with poverty, hunger, crises, robbery and levies.

Muhammad, who owns 6 children, complained about the high prices of Eid clothes for children, as the price of the suit reached 18,000 riyals.

In turn, Tariq Al-Duba'i - owner of a clothing store - says that the high prices of clothes are mainly due to the fact that goods are expensive and the collapse of the national currency price puts more pressure on the merchant and the citizen.

Al-Duba'i trader attributed the high prices to the high price of the dollar, customs and royalties imposed by the militia, unlike the war effort, which constitutes a great burden on traders.

“We couldn’t find anything to eat. I am an educational teacher, but we do not have salaries, and I do not have food in my house to feed my children.”  With this phrase, Mujahid Al-Yarimi - a father of five children - responded to the condition he has reached.

Al-Yarimi said he is unable to feed his family the three main meals.  His eyes are filled with tears, and he stands arrogantly and turns away so as not to fall, and he repeats, "I ask God to punish those who torment us, insult those who insult us, and show us in them the wonders of His power."

For his part, Ammar al-Kamal, a clothing merchant, says that the high prices destroyed the Yemenis more than the war destroyed them and broke their hearts, especially the employees, as they lived at an affordable and hidden level during the existence of the state and salaries, but we can only show solidarity with the largest disadvantaged segment of Yemenis.

Ammar points out that dozens of shoppers enter with their children and wander around his exhibition, then leave without buying due to the shock of high prices. Sadly, he says, "It is difficult for me to watch their children leave while crying."

Ibtisam Mutaher, a mother of six children, told "Newsmen", I used to buy clothes for my six children for an amount not exceeding 50 to 55 thousand riyals in the past two years, but today, by God, it cost me 150 thousand riyals, an increase of more than double.  She adds: "For me, if my husband was not an expatriate, I would not be able to buy the Eid clothes for my family, but what is the situation for the majority of the oppressed Yemeni people, and how will the employee's situation and his salaries be suspended in light of this outrageous high price?"

In general, Eid al-Fitr appears on Yemenis like other normal days, sad and devoid of any manifestations of joy and without feelings of joy, and they have become mired in poverty and surrounded by despair and severe frustration due to the prolongation of the war.  Perhaps the most accurate expression that Yemenis use in the face of the burdens of the Eid is their saying: “The Eid is for those who are able to reach it.”