Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Muammar Al-Eryani said that the Houthi terrorist militia is trying in vain to mislead the Yemeni public about paying salaries to state employees and pensioners, despite being fully responsible for not fulfilling and then stopping his spending, which began with his coup against the state. and plundering the state treasury and cash reserves, then stopping all steps and initiatives of the government to regularly re-spending funds.
He explained that the government had prioritized the issue of the salaries of civil servants and civilian pensioners, especially in areas under the control of the Houthi militia, and had sought to find practical solutions to it, considering it a humanitarian priority and a public concern. responsibility, and made great efforts for this, which at more than one stage faced the intransigence of the Houthi militias.
Al-Eryani indicated that in 2019, in order to retain government personnel and keep vital facilities running smoothly, the government paid the salaries of more than 120,000 government employees and retired government employees in areas controlled by the Houthi militia, including the health sector, and 50% education workers. At the time, the government was negotiating with the international community to allocate part of the humanitarian aid to a fund that covers the shortfall, especially in the education sector.
He pointed out that the Houthi militia introduced a currency split in January 2020, preventing the circulation of the currency issued by the main center of the Central Bank of Yemen in the temporary capital of Aden, which led to disruption in the way the government paid salaries in areas controlled by the militia, after it continued to exchange regularly throughout the year.
Al-Eryani added: On the contrary, the Houthi militia has doubled its taxes, customs and zakat fees on citizens and the private sector in addition to profiting from the black market for oil products, and just as an example, according to the report of the expert group, the value of tax and other revenues of the Houthis in 2019 was more than $1.8 billion. Independent estimates show that the sums raised by the militia during 2020 exceeded $4 billion, amounts several times larger than the payroll. state employees and pensioners in the areas under its jurisdiction.
Al-Eryani confirmed that since the beginning of the truce in April 2022, twice the number of ships with oil products have arrived in the port of Hodeidah, their tax and customs revenues exceed (213) billion Yemeni rials, plundered by the Houthi militias and hindering the discussion on the establishment of a mechanism for their payment to cover part of the wages of civil servants and pensioners in the areas under its control.
He pointed out that the UN envoy submitted a proposal that included the payment of salaries to civilian civil servants in areas controlled by the Houthi militia according to the 2014 lists. Instead of accepting the list, the Houthi militia rejected the proposal and demanded payment of the 2014 budget, which includes wages of military personnel and employees of law enforcement agencies, who were replaced by state personnel.
Al-Eryani noted that the Houthi militia claims that before the war, oil revenues accounted for 70% of the budget, and ignores the fact that the sector’s revenues fell by 75% as a result of the imposed war and forced companies to leave. and foreign investment, as well as the suspension of production in vital industries, exploration and export of liquefied natural gas.
Al-Eryani stressed the Government’s commitment to address the case in practice, in line with controls that guarantee wage sustainability and a comprehensive approach to revenues, including the ports of Hodeidah and tax revenues in the Houthi areas, and the need for a clear role for the international community in financing the wage gap in securing the cash sharing imposed by the militia.
