Livestock thieves: Houthis finance fighting fronts by stealing and looting

Yemeni activists revealed that the Houthis launched campaigns to seize livestock in Al-Mahwit governorate northwest of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, stressing that these campaigns are supervised by the Houthi leader Jibran al-Razehi, who is responsible for the supply convoys coming to Al-Mahwit, in addition to the involvement of Al-Mahwit Governor Haneen Quttaineh.

Activists said that the terrorist militia appointed a number of its members in the districts of Al-Mahwit Governorate to intimidate the owners of cattle and sheep and force them to hand over what they own, or else they would be forcibly seized and arrested as well, under the purview of the “supply convoy” that aims to compel civilians to donate what they have in order to support the Houthi fighting fronts.

Forcibly donating to the battlefronts

The Iranian-backed militia was not satisfied with that, but also confiscated the homes and properties of those who were displaced and emigrated from Al-Mahwit under slogans of donating to the battlefronts, using all means of intimidation to force citizens to pay or be arrested.

This is not the first time that the Houthi militia has carried out such practices, as it continuously steals agricultural crops at harvest times, and farmers cannot defend their crops so that they are not arrested and tortured.

Crackdown on citizens

Yemeni economic analyst Fares al-Najjar said that these practices by the Houthis come to tighten the noose around the people in its areas of control under the slogan of supporting the war effort, adding that the militia does not hesitate to exercise all means violence, oppression and abuse, sometimes forcing families to send their children to fight in its ranks, and at other times imposing financial royalties on shop owners to loot their money and goods under the same slogan.

Najjar added in an exclusive statement to the Reference that the militia has now turned to those who own livestock, which is their only source of livelihood, as they looted livestock through a group of supervisors, or rather thieves, who only care about making money for the benefit of the militia, without thinking about the suffering of the Yemeni citizens under Houthi rule.