Ramadan and Houthi royalties.. An added suffering on the shoulders of the Yemeni citizen
English - Wednesday 22 March 2023 الساعة 06:01 pm
Sanaa, NewsYemen, Jalal Muhammad:
On the cusp of the blessed month of Ramadan, the Yemeni citizen is experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, as the majority of Yemeni families languish under the poverty line, the exorbitant price of goods and services, the collapse of the local currency, and the suspension of salaries to state employees for more than five years.
Yemeni families, with the approaching month of Ramadan, are accustomed to the requirements of the holy month of food, drinks and sweets, but this year they are facing a stifling financial crisis, as the salaries of employees are not available, not to mention a price increase due to the imposition of royalties by the Houthi group on merchants and importers.
Ramadan levies
The Houthi levies doubled with the advent of the blessed month of Ramadan under several names, including (support for kitchens and ovens run by the group, support for the families of the martyrs and their relatives, support for those stationed on the front lines, zakat, taxes and the war effort). All of these names, through which the militias of Iran aim to loot huge amounts of money from merchants, who in turn add it to the prices of the goods sold, and the citizen bears its burdens.
Living condition change
In this regard, Hisham Al-Azani, a government employee, told NewsYemen: "This holy month has not changed for us, but our living conditions have changed. It is known that this month is characterized by a special character with a flavor enveloped in inherited customs and religious spirituality, and people used to receive it with applause, praises, and various preparations." .
And he adds: With the variety of meals and foods known and designated for him, and the exchange of foods between one neighbor and another, the situation has changed for us and some Ramadan customs have been absent from us due to the high prices of food commodities, the deterioration of the economic and health situation, and the interruption of salaries, which burdens the citizen who has become unable to provide the needs of this holy month.
He said: We are a people without a government, for example in Sana’a a de facto repressive authority, which does not care about a citizen or a homeland, nor the people’s famine or death. In the shadow of a gang that sucks our blood and sees that it is preferred over us for the rest of our lives.
Lack of job opportunities
As for Abd al-Salam al-Anisi - the head of a family consisting of 7 members - he says, we are waiting for this month impatiently, as it is a holy month in which people show their solidarity and ask about each other more, and in which the needs of the needy are checked despite the difficult circumstances we are going through these days of obscene price and greed. I have merchants, and there are no salaries, or works.
He added: "Before 2011 and 2014, we used to find additional work in private companies and shops, helping us to face the burdens of life, especially in Ramadan, but since the Houthis entered Sana'a and imposed restrictions on merchants and the private sector, capital migrated, and obtaining a job became impossible, and this It made matters worse.
He concluded his speech to "Newsyemen" by saying: "The group of hunger, looting and bullying are taking revenge on the entire people, and they will not rest until they have killed the people with starvation, backwardness and disease, throughout the year, not in Ramadan."
Houthi wants "improved"
Hajj Abdul Wahed Masoud, in a humorous spirit, talked about the month of Ramadan and compared the status quo to what it used to be, saying: “Ramadan is the month of God. Previously, we used to fast, racing to read the Qur’an and religious commitment. We were waiting for when the tip would be spent, and how much, but today we live in dire straits.” From 8 years.
And he added: We fast and the recipient is generous. During the times of Suhoor, you find the citizens praying for Al-Houthi and his paralysis, and we break the fast while we curse them as well. Throughout the fast, we are wounded and cursed, and it is from the distress of the situation, a group that wants to take us back to the era of the Imam and more severe.
Al-Hajj Masoud recalled previously: "We used to walk at the bakery in the right of the Imam, they called it "Al-Muhsana", they gave us two or three buns - a type of Yemeni baked goods - out of charity and charity right to the house of Hamid Al-Din, but now the Houthi wants the people to come back waiting for Al-Mohsana ".
Omar Saleh, 50, says: What we are witnessing these days are high prices and the inability to buy, even if they are less than the previous year in some products, as a result of the unavailability of salaries and the spread of epidemics in the country.
The Yemeni citizen lives his life moving between the suffering of the continuation of the state of no peace and no war imposed by the Houthi militia after the loss of peace opportunities, as well as between the loss of necessary services, the high prices of deadly diseases.
