[20/08/2021 04:27]

ADEN-SABA
Yemen's Minister of Information has said that the Houthi recent announcement of privileges for traders importing goods through the militia-controlled Hodeidah seaport belies the militia's claims of an Arab Coalition imposed "economic blockade" or hindrance to the flow of goods through that port.

In a statement to Saba, Muammar al-Eryani said: "The Houthi militia's announced facilitations and privileges to encourage traders and investors to import through Hodeidah Seaport, as well as their promotion of the daily freight handling capacity of the port belies the claims these militants kept asserting for six years: Economic blockade and hindrances to the flow of goods through the port."

"The terrorist Houthi militia has - since its overthrow of the government- been adopting the policy of systematic starvation of millions of Yemenis under their control to exploit the humanitarian crisis in misleading and blackmailing the international community," he said.

"The Houthi militia exploited the big lie of "blockade" to monopolize the trade in oil products and sold the oil products - which are imported through Hodeidah Seaport normally and smoothly – in the black markets at double the price, hoarded billions of illegally gained riyals for the enrichment of the militia's leaders and financing the war," he said.

"The terrorist militia kept stealing the customs tax from the port for seven years and dishonored the UN-sponsored agreement to deposit those revenues into the central bank's branch in Hodeidah to cover the payment of public salaries in the entire Republic" of Yemen, he said.

Al-Eryani demanded the international community, the UN and the UN and US envoys "to exercise real pressures on the militia to stop trifling with the humanitarian issue … and to refund all money looted from the Public Salaries account" in the Hodeida bank.

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