US Embassy: Houthis Collected 3.4 trillion Rials in 2023 Instead of Paying Salaries

Yemen Monitor | Newsroom: The US Embassy in Yemen said on Saturday that the Houthi group collected approximately 3.4 trillion Yemeni rials in revenues in 2023, instead of allocating the funds to pay public sector salaries and provide essential services to citizens. Khalid Wolfsberg, a spokesman for the US Embassy in Yemen, said in a video statement released by the embassy that the group’s revenues included proceeds from petroleum products, customs duties, the khums levy and other sources. He said the Houthis spent the money on wars and conflicts inside and outside Yemen, while living conditions continued to deteriorate in areas under their control. Wolfsberg said the group blamed other parties for the worsening economic situation while diverting the revenues it collected away from citizens’ basic needs. The funds could have been used to pay the salaries of government employees and teachers, create job opportunities and improve public services, rather than finance the group’s conflicts, which threaten the lives of Yemenis and regional security, he said. The US spokesman cited a video clip showing a Houthi leader announcing a large financial donation to Iran, describing it as an indication that funds were being channelled abroad while Yemenis faced mounting economic pressures. Wolfsberg also invoked a Yemeni proverb, “The broth you are distributing is better served to your own household first,” in criticism of the group’s spending priorities. Public sector employees in Houthi-controlled areas have gone years without regular salary payments, amid worsening economic and living conditions and declining access to essential services. The total revenue figure cited by the US Embassy and how the funds were spent could not be independently verified. The post US Embassy: Houthis Collected 3.4 trillion Rials in 2023 Instead of Paying Salaries appeared first on Yemen Monitor.