Yemen’s Prime Minister, Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, announced a staggering loss exceeding $2 billion for his government, attributed to the suspension of oil exports following targeted assaults on export ports by the Houthi group, known as “Ansar Allah.”
Speaking at a meeting in the city of Mukalla, the capital of Hadhramaut province in eastern Yemen, bin Mubarak addressed local authority leaders in Yemen’s largest province.
He highlighted that the economic warfare they face commenced in Hadhramaut in October 2022, with the attack on Al-Dhabba port.
Bin Mubarak elaborated on the financial toll, stating, “Last year, we lost approximately three trillion riyals, equivalent to around two billion dollars in revenue after being prevented from exporting oil.
This marks a fierce economic war waged against us, rivalling the severity of the military conflict.”
The Yemeni Prime Minister accused the Houthi group of killing more than 300 individuals over the past three months, violating the fragile peace the country has experienced since the end of the United Nations (UN) ceasefire in early October 2022. He emphasized that the state of war with the group persists unabated.
“Every day in this battle, we see casualties; just a few days ago, more than 13 lives were lost in Kirsh [Lahj province, southern Yemen], and over the past three months, more than 300 people have been killed,” bin Mubarak stated.
He added, “For those who believe we are in a ceasefire or a state of peace, it’s essential to remember; we are still in a state of war, with the militia [referring to the Houthis] never truly ceasing their aggression, be it through direct military assaults, shelling, snipers, or landmines.”
This accusation comes in the wake of calls for restraint from Hans Grundberg, the UN‘s envoy to Yemen, who, in a mid-March Security Council session, urged all Yemeni conflict parties to exercise maximum self-control and work towards de-escalation to protect the progress made in the peace process.
He noted ongoing clashes and troop movements in several regions, including Hodeidah, Lahj, Marib, Saada, Shabwah, and Taiz, with parties openly threatening a return to warfare.
In early August, the Yemeni government disclosed an increase in its losses due to the cessation of oil exports since October 2022, amounting to $1.5 billion, resulting from Houthi attacks on Al-Dhabba and Qana ports in Hadhramaut and Shabwah provinces, respectively.
The group has conditioned the resumption of crude oil shipments on the payment of public employee salaries in their controlled territories from the oil revenues.
