Shocking International Statistics – Is the Houthis Deliberately Starving the Yemeni People?
The latest statistics reveal that around 70 percent of Yemen’s food imports have entered Hodeidah ports controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, who claim that they are besieged, implying that Yemen is facing a major food crisis and food insecurity due to the Houthis who are seizing imports and food aid entering the country.
Houthi theft
According to the London-based Middle East newspaper, several international reports showed that imports through ports under the control of the legitimate government decreased by 53% compared to the same period last year, while fuel imports through ports under Houthi control increased by 330% during the ceasefire under the auspices of the United Nations, which means that Houthi militias supported by Iran intentionally stole food and medical resources allocated to the people. According to a report by the Famine Early Warning Network and government and other FAO data, Yemen is heavily dependent on imports for its basic food supplies, and available data suggest that imported food staples are significantly lower this year than last year, with traders importing nearly 3.7 million basic food items through all of the country’s central sea and land ports.
The report confirmed that 70% of basic food commodities were imported through the ports of Hodeidah and As-Salif in the western Red Sea, while 30% were imported through the port of Aden and other sea and land ports. The total quantity imported at the national level was 14% less than that in the same period in 2021, mainly due to a 48% decrease in wheat imports through government-controlled ports following the start of the war in Ukraine in February.
Fuel flow
The London newspaper added that similar trends were observed in the third quarter of 2022 when the quantity of food imported nationwide was 21% less than in the same period of 2021, and the amount imported through government-controlled ports was fully 53% less than in the same period of 2021. Hayel Saeed Anam group, the most prominent Yemeni food conglomerate, imported 436.140 wheat grain, mostly from France, Romania, and Australia, of which 379.340 grains were imported in the ports of Hodeida and Aden.
It went on to say that despite the reduction in levels of import through government-controlled seaports, basic food commodities are still widely available, however, even with the decline of fuel prices at the national level and the relative stability of the local currency in government areas, food prices are still higher than they were at the same time last year and well above the average, with prices of basic wheat flour, cooking oil and basmati rice rising in September 2022 by 56%, 48% and 35% respectively compared to September 2021. “Meanwhile, in Houthi-controlled Sana’a, the minimum cost of a food basket to survive fell by five percent from August to September 2022, but remained 13 percent higher than the previous year, according to data from the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism in Yemen, nearly 1.6 million tons of fuel were imported through Houthi-controlled seaports , representing a 330 percent increase, with livelihoods still disrupted by years of conflict and economic decline, with earning opportunities remaining below average.”
Increased levels of the conflict are likely to reduce income-earning opportunities for families and impede fuel imports through Red Sea ports , leading to reduced fuel availability and upward pressure on prices in areas controlled by Houthi militias, reports have suggested.
