August marks the passing of one year since the Houthi militias in Yemen stopped paying the salaries of more than 1.2 million civil employees in the civil and military sectors.

As per the state budget for 2014 (the latest public budget prepared in Yemen), the monthly salaries paid reach YR 80 billion (equivalent to $216 million), which means, the total of the sum looted by Houthi militias during the past 12 months amounted to 960 billion Yemeni riyals.

This sum is equivalent to two billion and 592 million dollars, (one dollar equals 360 riyals) at the moment.

During the past month of Ramadan, the government of the coup in Sanaa evaded the demands of employees through the issuing of what is known as the ration book, which was a deceitful maneuver.

The ration book offered a value equivalent to half a salary for one or two months to be received by the employees in the form of goods or food supplies and through certain contracted commercial companies.

Hundreds of thousands of employees were forced to purchase goods with exaggerated prices. These difference in prices found its way into the pockets of militia leaders and supervisors.

The Government of Yemen agreed to a UN proposal; the UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed referred to as a solution that would guarantee payment of salaries if implemented.

However, observers rule out that the Houthi militias would agree to supply revenues from their areas of control to a neutral institution to keep this tragic situation on going and plunder hundreds of millions of dollars.

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:49 - GMT 06:49