Yemen Airways suspends flights from Sanaa to Jordan after Houthis seize its funds
Yemen Airways accuses the Houthi group of refusing to release its funds in Sanaa banks, estimated at around 80 million dollars
Yemen Airways has decided to suspend its only international commercial flight from the Yemeni capital to Jordan in response to the Houthi group‘s prevention of the company from withdrawing its funds from Sanaa banks, according to four company executives who requested anonymity. The rebels continue their violations, affecting all aspects of life in their controlled areas, despite international and regional efforts to bring peace and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.
Company officials, the country’s national carrier, stated that they will suspend six weekly flights to Jordan in October after negotiations with the Houthis failed to release the company’s funds, which they said amount to 80 million dollars. The sources said the company proposed that the Houthi government receive 70% of the funds, while the remaining 30%, recognized internationally, would go to the government. The Houthi administration rejected this proposal, leading the airline to suspend its flights to Jordan.
The company said in a statement that it had been unable to withdraw its funds from Sanaa banks for several months and called on the Houthi authorities to lift the “illegally imposed” restrictions on its assets.
The company resumed its flights from Sanaa to the Jordanian capital, Amman, in April 2022, but the rebels did not abide by their commitments to it, as with the rest of Yemeni institutions and their adversaries in the legitimate government.
The rebels have escalated their military moves in defiance of their commitments to Saudi Arabia to push for peace efforts during a visit by a delegation from the group to the kingdom. The Yemeni army accused the Houthi group on Saturday of escalating militarily in various fronts in Taiz province, southwest of the country.
The Taiz military axis said in a press statement that “the Houthi militia renewed its military escalation during the past two days on various fronts of the province.”
Intermittent clashes erupted between the army and the Houthi militia on Thursday and Friday on the fronts of Al-Aqrud in the south of the province and the Kamb Al-Rus area northeast of the city of Taiz after the army thwarted the militia’s two infiltration attempts.
The Taiz axis confirmed the outbreak of “intermittent clashes in the western fronts of Taiz after the Houthi militia escalated its hostile acts and targeted army positions with heavy and medium artillery,” considering this escalation “a clear challenge to the peace efforts led by the United Nations and international and regional parties to reach a permanent ceasefire in Yemen.”
The Houthi allies, backed by Iran, ousted the Saudi-backed government from Sanaa in late 2014 and effectively control northern Yemen, including Sanaa.
