A Yemeni website highlights the top 10 lies of the Houthi rebels in the year 2023… Get to know them
Elements of the Houthi coup militia have consistently used lies as a method and approach to achieve “false” victories. The latest of these is the lie directed at (officials of state institutions touching the needs of citizens), as stated by Houthi militia leader Mehdi al-Mashat, who ended the year by denying his own lie.
Throughout the year 2023, the Houthi militias, the Iranian arm in Yemen, launched an endless series of promises and public directives related to serving the citizens. The reality proved their falsehood before the end of the year 2023.
Meanwhile, the local website (News Yemen) identified the top 10 lies propagated by the group during the year 2023. Among them is the lie about the caretaker government; while the militias claimed the dismissal of the government of Abdel Aziz ben Habtour and assigned it the task of caretaking, excluding decisions of dismissal and appointment, by the decision of its political council head Mehdi al-Mashat. The public received news of the appointment of a new head for the Public Radio and Television Corporation, and another for the Revolution Press Foundation, describing it as one of the most prominent and recent lies of the Houthi rebels during the year 2023.
In addition to the lie of “addressing the concerns and achieving the issues of the courts,” the Houthi militias claimed that their leader Mehdi al-Mashat directed all officials of state institutions to go into the field in the directorates of the capital (Sanaa) and the neighboring provinces to address the concerns and needs of the citizens. However, the reality practically proved that all these individuals were preoccupied with organizing and holding events with sectarian dimensions, harnessing all state apparatuses and institutions for events like (Ashura commemoration, Wilaya Day), and other consecutive historical occasions throughout the days and weeks of the year 2023.
On March 7, the group claimed that al-Mashat directed the Ministry of Tourism to pay attention to public parks that represent outlets for citizens. However, the reality confirmed the group’s confiscation and looting of funds allocated for the restoration, cleanliness, and maintenance of tourist facilities and parks, neglecting them and turning gardens, central islands, and hills overlooking Sanaa into settlements for waste and garbage bags and food and qat leftovers.
On March 11, 2023, the Houthi militias claimed that their leader Mehdi al-Mashat urged judges to expedite cases in courts, especially those with final judgments. However, the reality practically confirmed the issuance of official directives from Houthi leader Ahmed Hamed not to implement judicial rulings against state institutions.
The Yemeni website also pointed out the “lie of empowering the poor and investment facilitations.” The Houthi militias claimed on May 2, 2023, that al-Mashat directed the formation of a committee to develop what they called “strategic treatments for training and empowering the poor, taking them out of unemployment into production.” However, the Houthi militias continued in 2023 to increase poverty and famine indicators by imposing additional caloric doses on the prices of oil derivatives, foodstuffs, and electricity and water bills.
They also continued to refuse to disburse the salaries of state employees from the revenues of the port of Hodeidah, taxes, and customs, contenting themselves during the same year with paying the second half of the salary for the month of July 2018.
On July 24, the Houthi militias claimed that their leader Mehdi al-Mashat directed to provide all facilities and simplify procedures for private sector investors. However, the reality proved that the alleged facilitations were intended for fake real estate and commercial investment companies.
As the year 2023 unfolded its last days, the public in Sanaa was surprised on December 23 by the start of the trial of 41 defendants from officials of the so-called Tehama Company on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and seizing the funds of more than 13 thousand citizens.
Another prominent lie of the militias is “the incentive for teachers and the national electricity.” The group often announced its intention to pay an allowance to teachers of 30 thousand riyals from the revenues of the Teacher Support Fund throughout the year 2013. However, the disappearance of the incentive promises was practically proven within a very limited timeframe, with the appearance of textbooks being sold on the sidewalks and school doors resembling the black market.
In the electricity sector, the militias claimed on August 2, 2023, that al-Mashat directed to expand the provision of electricity service through the national grid. However, the Ministry of Electricity in Sanaa announced on October 9, 2023, the temporary licenses for 7 owners of private sector generators.
