Yemeni analyst details rising crime in Houthi-controlled areas
Residents in Sana’a and other cities under the control of the rebels have complained of the high level of crimes of various kinds and the spread of chaos and armed criminal gangs in their areas. This coincided with the Houthi militia’s declaration of the registration of more than 1,855 criminal offenses in four provinces under its control over the past 30 days.
A report by Roaya revealed that residents affirmed their rejection of the terrorist militia’s actions in areas under the control of militias. The level of security and criminal crimes, including murders, thefts, looting, kidnappings, and incursions, has recently increased to double what it was in past years and months.
Since its coup, the Houthi group has struggled to support and enable armed gangs to commit various kinds of crimes and to create security and social chaos in areas under its control, which has negatively impacted the lives and livelihoods of the population and led to record-high crime rates.
“There are multiple complaints in the Huthi areas of murders, kidnappings, looting, robberies and thefts, in an unusual way, and not a day goes by without their capital being recorded for many different crimes, in unfamiliar ways, with the security agencies supervised by Houthi leaders moving no residents,” said Abdul Hafeez Nahari, a Yemeni political analyst.
The capital Sanaa and other cities under the group’s control are suffering unprecedented deterioration and lawlessness, accompanied by a significant rise in the rate of various forms of crime, he said. Official statistics reveal a significant rise in crime rates and their prevalence in areas under the control of the Houthi militia, he added.
Sanaa topped the list of those governorates by registering 1,218 crimes during that period, followed by Hajjah province with 248 recorded crimes, then Al-Mahwit with 232 crimes, and Raymah province with 157 crimes. The Houthi militia admitted that murders, premeditated murder, theft of homes, shops, people, cars, and motorcycles, and possession, abuse, and promotion of drugs were the top crimes, while the rest were divided between banditry, rape, kidnapping, pillaging, fraud, extortion crimes, looting of private property, violating the sanctity of housing, threats, and assaulting the sanctity of private life.
