Yemen: Houthis lead Yemenis to commit suicide
The poor living conditions that still affect millions of people in the cities under the control of the Houthi terrorist militia in Yemen have led to an increase in suicides in the areas controlled by the militias. The number of suicides has reached 122 cases in six months, according to what the group’s organs themselves admitted, through the victims either jumping from high places, hanging, shooting themselves, or through other means enabling them to kill themselves to escape the living pressures.
Social workers accuse the Houthi militias of their behavior, which has led to the despair of millions of people; forcing dozens of them of all ages to end their lives; Because of the misery and frustration they have experienced over the past eight years.
According to Asharq al-Awsat, Houthi militia groups have admitted more than 122 suicides across areas under their control in six months; Of these, 5 failed suicides and the remaining 117 deaths, including 19 children and 34 women, and the remaining 18- to 45-year-old males.
Ibb province topped the list, as it is usually, with 33 suicides, followed by Sanaa with 23, Hodeidah with 12, Amran with 10, Dhamar with 8, and Saada, Hajjah, Mahwit, and Raymah provinces with the rest.
The Houthi group previously admitted, in a report issued by its affiliated agencies in Sanaa, to having recorded about 340 suicides of various ages in 10 cities under its control during 2020. Observers estimated that the actual number of suicides was higher than what was reported by the militias.
In a recent report, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that 8 million Yemenis suffer from psychological problems as a result of the 8-year-old conflict. The organization said in a previous report that Yemen ranks first among Arab countries in the suicide rate in 2019, which reached 580 cases per 100,000 citizens.
Local reports estimated that one person commits suicide every two days in several Yemeni cities, most of which are under the group’s control; Due to the systematic crimes of arbitrariness, humiliation and impoverishment, the Yemen Monitor Unit monitored from April 24th to May 30th this year the cases of suicide for more than 21 people in a number of Yemeni cities, confirming that the majority of them committed suicide by hanging.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says mental illness is one of the most common health conditions in Yemen, due to “the eight-year armed conflict and the collapsing economy”, which has led to the paralysis of health facilities and exacerbated mental illnesses affecting all segments of society.
“The few facilities providing mental health and psychosocial services are severely underfunded, compared to the acute need for their services,” she said.
Hundreds of thousands of Yemeni military and civil servants in areas under the control of militias are suffering the most severe hardship and deprivation due to Houthi repression, abuse, exclusion and dismissal from public office.
Meanwhile, the UN World Food Program (WFP) announced last month that it was suspending all resilience and livelihood activities in Yemen due to a lack of funding, saying that additional aid must be cut in the coming months unless additional funds are urgently mobilized, pointing to a 40% increase in food prices in one year in areas under the group’s control.
