While successive fuel crises have exacerbated the suffering of Yemeni people, a recent revelation has brought to light a troubling aspect of corruption within the fuel and cooking gas sector under the control of Houthi militias.
The Houthi-appointed minister of oil and minerals has expressed his frustration over his inability to effectively oversee the procurement, distribution, and monitoring of transactions.
This development hints at an ongoing power struggle between different factions within the Houthi leadership.
Ahmed Abdullah Dars, who was appointed as the minister of oil and minerals in the unrecognized Houthi government, has voiced his grievances, claiming that he has been marginalized and hindered from fulfilling his responsibilities in the sector he oversees.
He alleges that he and his team have been denied the authority to procure fuel and exercise control over the processes of procurement and marketing.
During a discussion before the so-called House of Representatives in Sanaa, which is under the control of Houthis, Dars mentioned that the authority to purchase oil or gas has been delegated to companies and traders who negotiate procurement deals with the supplying companies.
He and his administration focus on monitoring the arrival of oil shipments, setting and regulating prices, as well as overseeing distribution and control of the selling process in the domestic markets.
However, leaked documents have revealed that the commercial department within the Yemen Oil Company, controlled by the Houthis, has resorted to selling a ton of oil for $500, rejecting offers from other companies at $250.
This was done through a currency exchange company owned by five prominent oil traders loyal to the Houthi insurgency.
While the authenticity of the documents could not be independently verified, sources have confirmed that the Houthi-controlled parliament previously discussed offers from foreign companies to supply oil in order to provide gasoline and diesel at prices not exceeding six dollars for a 20-liter can. However, dealing with those companies was rejected.
The international team of experts affiliated with the United Nations Security Council has previously accused Houthi militias of creating an artificial fuel scarcity to compel traders to sell it in the black market, which they control.
The group has reportedly generated official revenues of approximately $132 million from fuel sales during the year 2021.
