Houthis blackmail the poor in Sanaa: Fight in exchange for aid

Houthi militias have prevented international aid convoys from reaching poor towns in Sanaa’s countryside because the people in these towns refuse to send their sons to fight along their side in the west coast.

Local residents said Houthi security checkpoints prevented the convoys from delivering aid to those harmed by the war and to poor people in Sanaa’s countryside, primarily Khwlan, Arhab and some areas in Sanhan.

Mohammed Khaled, a teacher from Sanhan, slammed the Houthis and said what’s happening reflects the Houthis’ “deep hatred” towards the people, the local Yemen Monitor website reported.

“Yes, we all refused to allow our sons to join the fighting fronts, and the Houthis pressured the (towns’) elders but most towns refused,” he added.

According to local sources, a Houthi security checkpoint at Sanaa’s entrance offered an organization to take half of the aid it’s carrying to allow it to pass.

A merchant in Sanaa said he bought 2,000 boxes that have food during the past two weeks. He added that each box weighs 50 kilograms and they bear the slogan of the UN’s World Food Program.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock had accused the Houthis of imposing growing restrictions on humanitarian action and of interfering in relief organizations’ activities in areas they control.

Meanwhile, the Arab coalition launched a series of airstrikes on the Houthis’ posts in Sanaa. Well-informed sources said the strikes targeted Al-Jiraf neighborhood and Haddah street.