The Suffering of Yemenis: a moral fragility erasing lives under the domination of the Houthis and the Muslim Brotherhood
In the heart of Yemen, where conflict rages and threads of hope fade amid the fragility of divided rule, a report by “Aden Time” stressed that the policies of the Houthis on one side, and the Muslim Brotherhood on the other, have deepened the humanitarian crisis to unprecedented levels, forcing millions of Yemenis into poverty, hunger, and displacement.
In the north, the Houthis have turned the crisis to their advantage through systematic levies that place unbearable burdens on the population, while the Muslim Brotherhood is accused of providing “political cover” in international forums under the guise of “settlement,” depriving thousands of families of their livelihoods and their ability to meet basic needs.
In Taiz, civilian life has become a daytime nightmare. The city is trapped between the siege imposed by the Houthis on one side and the Brotherhood’s mismanagement of the sector under their control on the other. This has turned Taiz into an arena where siege, ongoing shelling, administrative chaos, and governmental paralysis converge.
In Marib, now a refuge for internally displaced persons, these families face an even harsher fate: both Houthi militias and Brotherhood-affiliated groups impose overlapping blockades and financial extortion. Humanitarian aid, their only lifeline, is made conditional on paying exorbitant fees to those same actors who claim to defend the vulnerable.
This overlap, in which the Houthis monopolize local security while the Brotherhood exploits narratives of political settlement, has created a stark picture of division and inefficiency. The state has vanished from the scene, leaving civilians alone against a ruthless machinery with no safety net in sight.
The risks Yemen faces therefore extend beyond military chaos: they endanger the entire social fabric. Poverty, hunger, and administrative disorder combine to erode national identity and darken the prospects for stability.
