عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Houthis Replace Tens of Thousands of Teachers with Militants

Houthis’ attempts to break the Yemeni teachers' strike have failed (Teachers Club)
Houthis’ attempts to break the Yemeni teachers' strike have failed (Teachers Club)
TT
TT

Houthis Replace Tens of Thousands of Teachers with Militants

Houthis’ attempts to break the Yemeni teachers' strike have failed (Teachers Club)
Houthis’ attempts to break the Yemeni teachers' strike have failed (Teachers Club)

Yemeni sources in Sanaa have revealed that Houthi militias have replaced up to 36,000 of their sectarian members instead of teachers who fled oppression in areas under their control, or sought employment in other professions, as their salaries have been withheld for the past 7 years.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the militias are replacing about 20,000 other public employees, mostly teachers, before agreeing with the legitimate government on a mechanism for paying employees' salaries.
 

They indicated that the so-called educational office of the Houthi leadership supervised the appointment of two batches of its members, about 35,000, over the past two years.

It placed them in public schools, claiming to cover staff shortages after thousands of teachers fled the group's control areas for fear of repression. While others resorted to different professions to provide for themselves and their families after salaries were cut.

According to these sources, the office is seeking to install a new batch of about 30,000 so-called volunteers instead of a new set of teacher

-Terrorizing teachers

The move aims to intimidate teachers on strike for the second month, as they were threatened with being laid off.

An internal report of the so-called education committee quoted the leadership of the Ministry of Education in the unrecognized government as saying that most of the teaching staff had returned to work after the first payment of the monthly incentive by the Teacher's Fund.

However, after the disbursement stopped, the teachers left their schools, especially since the coup ministry continued to pay for its volunteers.

This confirms that the goal is to force the educational staff to leave the schools and replace them with Houthi elements, according to three sources in the education sector in Sanaa. ‏

-State revenues to support sectarianism

The Deputy Education Minister in the coup government, Khaled Jedar, said monthly incentives to teachers from the revenues of the Teacher Fund were halted because of a lack of payments.

Jedar said that the monthly need to cover the disbursement of incentives exceeds YR7 billion, although he announced last month the ministry intends to pay teachers incentives for three consecutive months.

Local sources in Sanaa said the Houthi official failed to respond to the questions of members of the so-called House of Representatives about the ministry’s ability to pay the salaries of top officials. At the same time, teachers are deprived of their wages

The Yemeni government says the Houthi militia gets about YR1.4 trillion per year from tax and customs revenues only

According to educational sources, the Houthi government seized about YR1 billion from the revenues of the Skills Development Fund for the coup Ministry of Education to cover the expenses of elementary and secondary exams.

The group also imposed annual fees on students in public schools for the “community contribution” at the rate of $15 per student, which caused the deprivation of thousands of students from education.

Families cannot pay these sums in light of the deteriorating economic situation, where 70 percent of the population depends on aid provided by relief organizations.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Washington Finalizing Draft Sudan Ceasefire Mechanism

A man walks near heavily-damaged buildings in the Lamab suburb on the southwestern outskirts of Sudan's capital Khartoum on July 30, 2025 as residents return amidst reconstruction efforts. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
A man walks near heavily-damaged buildings in the Lamab suburb on the southwestern outskirts of Sudan's capital Khartoum on July 30, 2025 as residents return amidst reconstruction efforts. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
TT
TT

Washington Finalizing Draft Sudan Ceasefire Mechanism

A man walks near heavily-damaged buildings in the Lamab suburb on the southwestern outskirts of Sudan's capital Khartoum on July 30, 2025 as residents return amidst reconstruction efforts. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
A man walks near heavily-damaged buildings in the Lamab suburb on the southwestern outskirts of Sudan's capital Khartoum on July 30, 2025 as residents return amidst reconstruction efforts. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)

Washington is preparing to send the final draft of a proposed UN-backed mechanism to monitor a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan to the warring parties, according to Massad Boulos, special adviser to US President Donald Trump for Middle East affairs.

Speaking at a Sudan session during the Munich Security Conference, Boulos said work on the monitoring mechanism - coordinated with the United Nations - has been under way for weeks as a prelude to a broader political process.

He stressed that Trump is determined to “end the war in Sudan and stop the suffering of Sudanese facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”

His remarks came during a panel alongside British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Reem Alabali-Radovan, following a brief exchange with Sudanese Prime Minister Kamel Idris, who moderated the session.

Idris said the Sudanese government would not negotiate with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), arguing that it “no longer exists” as a legal entity.

He noted that the RSF had been established under Sudanese law and later dissolved, saying those currently fighting are “a mix of militias and foreign mercenaries from Colombia and other countries.”

Idris stressed that the Sudanese army is acting defensively, while its rivals are committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat after the session, he stressed that the government is not categorically opposed to dialogue, saying it was willing to meet with the backers of the RSF rather than the fighters themselves.

Asked about the US-Saudi initiative referenced by Boulos, Idris said Sudan has its own peace proposal that complements earlier initiatives, including the US-Saudi effort. The plan, he remarked, focuses on protecting the state and ending unprecedented war crimes committed by rebel militias.

He said the Sudanese initiative does not include direct dialogue with militias and does not recognize them, describing them instead as mercenary groups.

Idris rejected the idea of a ceasefire lacking concrete measures, saying any truce must include relocating militias to designated camps, screening their fighters, and examining the possibility of reintegrating some into society.

Boulos, for his part, noted that his efforts are being carried out within an international “Quartet” comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. He stressed that he maintains equal distance from both sides and warned against all forms of external military support.

Alabali-Radovan called for international pressure to end the conflict, citing the scale of the humanitarian crisis, while Cooper stressed the need for accountability, specifically citing crimes committed in El Fasher, saying she is awaiting a UN report to ensure those responsible are held to account.

Arab World

Israeli Approval of West Bank Land Registration Draws Outrage 

A Palestinian man from the village of Burqa, walks past a fence decorated with Israeli flags installed by Jewish settlers after they announced their control over the historical Al-Masoudiya Ottoman era train station, which operated between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Tulkarm in the 1920s, just north of the city of Nablus, in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 15, 2026. (AFP)
A Palestinian man from the village of Burqa, walks past a fence decorated with Israeli flags installed by Jewish settlers after they announced their control over the historical Al-Masoudiya Ottoman era train station, which operated between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Tulkarm in the 1920s, just north of the city of Nablus, in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 15, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Israeli Approval of West Bank Land Registration Draws Outrage 

A Palestinian man from the village of Burqa, walks past a fence decorated with Israeli flags installed by Jewish settlers after they announced their control over the historical Al-Masoudiya Ottoman era train station, which operated between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Tulkarm in the 1920s, just north of the city of Nablus, in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 15, 2026. (AFP)
A Palestinian man from the village of Burqa, walks past a fence decorated with Israeli flags installed by Jewish settlers after they announced their control over the historical Al-Masoudiya Ottoman era train station, which operated between the Palestinian cities of Nablus and Tulkarm in the 1920s, just north of the city of Nablus, in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank on February 15, 2026. (AFP)

Israel's government has approved a process to register land in the West Bank, drawing condemnation from Arab nations and critics who labelled it a "mega land grab" that would accelerate annexation of the Palestinian territory.

Israel's foreign ministry said the measure would enable "transparent and thorough clarification of rights to resolve legal disputes" and was needed after unlawful land registration in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

But Egypt, Qatar and Jordan criticized the move as illegal under international law.

In a statement, the Egyptian government called it a "dangerous escalation aimed at consolidating Israeli control over the occupied Palestinian territories".

Qatar's foreign ministry condemned the "decision to convert West Bank lands into so-called 'state property'," saying it would "deprive the Palestinian people of their rights".

The Palestinian Authority called for international intervention to prevent the "de facto beginning of the annexation process and the undermining of the foundations of the Palestinian state".

Israeli anti-settlement watchdog Peace Now called Sunday's measure a "mega land grab".

According to public broadcaster Kan, land registration will be reopened in the West Bank for the first time since 1967 -- when Israel captured the territory in the Middle East war.

The Israeli media reported that the process will take place only in Area C, which constitutes some 60 percent of West Bank territory and is under Israeli security and administrative control.

Palestinians see the West Bank as foundational to any future Palestinian state, but many on Israel's religious right want to take over the land.

Last week, Israel's security cabinet approved a series of measures backed by far-right ministers to tighten control over areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo accords in place since the 1990s.

Those measures, which also sparked international backlash, include allowing Jewish Israelis to buy West Bank land directly and allowing Israeli authorities to administer certain religious sites in areas under the Palestinian Authority's control.

Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law.

Around three million Palestinians live in the territory.

Arab World

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: An Unnamed Party Has Plans to Block Parliamentary Elections

A previous session of the Lebanese Parliament (National News Agency) 
A previous session of the Lebanese Parliament (National News Agency) 
TT
TT

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: An Unnamed Party Has Plans to Block Parliamentary Elections

A previous session of the Lebanese Parliament (National News Agency) 
A previous session of the Lebanese Parliament (National News Agency) 

A legal opinion issued by Lebanon’s Ministry of Justice’s Legislation and Consultations Authority, responding to a query from Interior and Municipalities Minister Brig. Gen. Ahmad Hajjar on expatriate voting, has further unsettled the electoral scene in the country.

The opinion addresses whether Lebanese citizens abroad may vote from their country of residence for all 128 seats in Parliament. If adopted by the government, it could spark a confrontation with a parliamentary bloc that rejects it, potentially jeopardizing the holding of elections scheduled for May.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reacted sharply, describing the opinion as “rejected, baffling, and not open to interpretation.”

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Berri said it was unprecedented “for a judge to suspend the implementation of a law rather than ensure its application,” adding that the law cannot be bypassed by a non-binding advisory opinion.

He went further, alleging that the opinion “reveals the existence of a plan to prevent parliamentary elections from taking place on time,” saying it was prompted by an “unnamed party”.

Berri stressed that the move “did not come out of nowhere,” but rather as part of advance planning to halt elections that must be held under the current electoral law.

He said he personally opened nominations for the polls to “cut off claims that I favor extending Parliament’s term,” rejecting suggestions that his Amal Movement fears waning popularity.

“We have chosen to submit to the ballot box,” he said, insisting he remains committed to holding elections on schedule and urging all sides to facilitate, not obstruct, the process.

Hajjar, who requested the opinion, is reportedly proceeding cautiously. Sources close to him told Asharq Al-Awsat he prefers consultations with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam before deciding whether to place the issue on the Cabinet agenda.

It remains unclear whether the government will embrace the advisory opinion - non-binding by nature - or use it to broker a compromise over proposed amendments to the electoral law.

Political sources downplayed the likelihood of a major clash, citing the country’s fragile conditions and escalating Israeli attacks, as well as the need for stability ahead of a Paris-hosted international conference on March 5 to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces. They noted that adopting the opinion would require legislative change.

Looking ahead, uncertainty persists over whether elections could be delayed under the pretext of disagreement on the law.

Sources point to waning international pressure to hold the vote on time, as foreign envoys now prioritize the state’s monopoly on arms - particularly north of the Litani River to the Awali - over electoral timelines.

While the international community is unlikely to demand a postponement, it appears to favor sequencing elections after progress on disarmament, arguing this would weaken Hezbollah’s leverage and advance the project of rebuilding the state.