Houthi militia leaders continue to loot funds under the pretext of fundraising to fight the coronavirus in the war-torn country, with operations to collect the illicit royalties recently expanding to Ibb governorate.
Despite Houthis gathering tens of millions of Yemeni rials, according to the group’s local emergency committee in Ibb, no action or measures to prevent the virus have been taken.
Locals confirm that the majority of preventative measures in Ibb’s districts were executed by personal youth initiatives and not by the Houthis.
A former local official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the militias have not yet taken any preventative measures to protect the people in Ibb from the virus.
The official noted that the quarantining of locals returning from abroad in hotels was mostly funded by international organizations.
The Houthi emergency committee, according to the official, has plundered over 20 million riyals from Ibb’s municipal funds. The committee took the money to allegedly purchase virus preventative and health equipment.
The local official said the militias have claimed that they allocated these funds to buy masks, sterilizers and detergents, and said no supplies have reached the area’s districts and cleaners.
Houthis did not stop at plundering funds, but also transformed the pandemic into a business opportunity to raise more money for their war effort.
Ashraf al-Motawakel, the Houthi appointed health representative for Ibb, has been selling medical equipment to hospitals and pharmacies across the governorate.
Motawakel, according to medical sources, has exploited his power and influence in the governorate to force hospitals and pharmacies to purchase equipment from five institutions he owns.
Violations against the residents of Ibb coincide with other abuses carried out against shop owners, pharmacies and hospitals in the Houthi-run capital, Sanaa.
