Yemen: $70 a Month for Houthi Recruits

Child soldiers with Houthi fighters hold weapons during a demonstration in Sanaa on March 13, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters)
Child soldiers with Houthi fighters hold weapons during a demonstration in Sanaa on March 13, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters)
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Yemen: $70 a Month for Houthi Recruits

Child soldiers with Houthi fighters hold weapons during a demonstration in Sanaa on March 13, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters)
Child soldiers with Houthi fighters hold weapons during a demonstration in Sanaa on March 13, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters)

Houthi militias are resorting to all possible means to recruit militants, whether young or old, for a mere $70 a month to remain engaged in their sectarian war that glorifies their leader.

There are dozens of heart breaking stories told by taxi drivers or people in public places describing the insane Houthi rule that contradicts ethics and traditions of the Yemeni society.

Asharq Al-Awsat spoke to a group of residents, who all preferred to remain anonymous, in several areas of Yemen about the situation and Houthi rule.

In Hajjah governorate, Mohammed H., a 42-year-old taxi driver, indicated that almost every family in the city has lost a member or two while fighting for the Houthis.

When asked about the number of deceased, Mohammed stated that he can’t give the toll, but assured that at least seven people have been killed from each of the villages of Ezlat Bani Moheb in Hajjah.

"The group exploited the unemployment rate among young people and initially pushed them to enroll in its sectarian teachings, hiding them in unknown places for periods ranging from one to two weeks," he said, adding that they are brainwashed.

Mohammed preferred to flee from his region to Sanaa, fearing that his eldest son would be recruited. He explained that he won’t bare seeing his son in a body bag, and that is why he found him a job in a grocery store in one of Sanaa’s suburbs.

In al-Shahl district, Hajjah province, the death toll is much higher, according to Salim Sh.

Since the Houthi group launched its war, several citizens of Shahl were killed.

Salim's brother was killed in the Midi front two years ago, followed by his other brother, just a month after joining a camp in Abs region. His third brother is alive, but Salim says he could face the same fate at any moment.

Salim indicates that his third brother refused to obey his mother's wishes and insisted on joining the group. He explains how he was given sectarian lessons after being recruited by the group.

Since the beginning of the coup, Shahl district has established three new grave yards to fit the 2,000 people killed during the clashes, according to Salim.

In Manakha, west of Sanaa, one of the region's dignitaries told Asharq al-Awsat that more than 5,000 people have fallen in the ranks of the group since the beginning of the coup.

Mohammed N, a retired judge, believes that illiteracy, poverty, and unemployment, are the main reasons that allowed the Houthi group to control the minds of many young men and adolescents.

Mohammed confirms that the group pays about 30,000 Yemeni riyals to fighters in its ranks, which is less than 70 dollars. It also pays the same amount to the family of the deceased, through its affiliated "Martyrs’ Foundation".

Many of those involved in the group have dropped out in shock or after discovering the illicit gains of Houthi leaders or their real motives.

S.W. is one of the fighters who left the group. He withdrew from Nahm front and remained home after that for three months, fearing the group’s Preventive Security Forces would arrest him and force him to hand over his weapon.

Earlier this year, the Houthi group received more than 10,000 school graduates in Sanaa and other provinces. The group deluded the young men that it will enroll them in the military and security faculties under its jurisdiction, according to security and military sources. However, the insurgents only granted the graduates three months before pushing them to the front lines, asserted the sources.

There are different recruitment stories that have one thing in common, a tragic ending.



US-backed Gaza Aid Group to Halt Distribution on Wednesday, UN to Vote on Ceasefire Demand 

Israeli shelling hits an area in the northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Israeli shelling hits an area in the northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
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US-backed Gaza Aid Group to Halt Distribution on Wednesday, UN to Vote on Ceasefire Demand 

Israeli shelling hits an area in the northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Israeli shelling hits an area in the northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will not give out any aid on Wednesday as it presses Israel to boost civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its distribution sites, a day after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed.

The GHF said it has asked the Israeli military to "guide foot traffic in a way that minimizes confusion or escalation risks" near military perimeters; develop clearer guidance for civilians; and enhance training to support civilian safety.

"Our top priority remains ensuring the safety and dignity of civilians receiving aid," said a GHF spokesperson. An Israeli military spokesperson warned civilians against moving in areas leading to GHF sites on Wednesday, deeming them "combat zones".

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it opened fire on a group of people it viewed as a threat near a GHF food aid distribution site. The International Committee of the Red Cross said at least 27 people were killed and dozens injured. The GHF said the incident was "well beyond" its site.

Palestinians who collected food GHF boxes on Tuesday described scenes of pandemonium, with no-one overseeing the handover of supplies or checking IDs, as crowds jostled for aid.

The UN Security Council is also set to vote on Wednesday on a demand for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas and humanitarian access across Gaza, where aid has trickled amid chaos and bloodshed after Israel lifted an 11-week blockade on the enclave where famine looms.

"It is unacceptable. Civilians are risking – and in several instances losing – their lives just trying to get food," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday, adding that the aid distribution model backed by the US and Israel was "all a recipe for disaster, which is exactly what is going on."

That model is run by the newly created GHF, which started operations in the enclave a week ago and said on Tuesday that it has given out more than seven million meals from three so-called secure distribution sites. GHF Interim Executive Director John Acree urged humanitarians in Gaza: "Work with us and we will get your aid delivered to those who are depending on it."

US VETO?

The UN and other aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not neutral and the distribution model militarizes aid. GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get aid to the distribution sites.

It is the latest in a string of efforts to get more aid into the enclave, where experts say the entire population of some 2.1 million people is at risk of famine. Jordan last year spearheaded humanitarian air drops, while the US briefly installed a floating aid pier, but it was beset by challenges.

The UN has long-blamed Israel and lawlessness in the enclave for hindering the delivery of aid into Gaza and its distribution throughout the war zone. Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies.

Israel said on Tuesday that three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza. Gaza health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza.

The 10 elected members of the UN Security Council have asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties."

The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of aid and its safe and unhindered distribution, including by the UN, throughout Gaza.

"The time to act has already passed," Slovenia's UN Ambassador Samuel Zbogar told Reuters. "It is our historical responsibility not to remain silent."

As US President Donald Trump's administration tries to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, it was not immediately clear if Washington would veto the draft text. A spokesperson for the US mission to the UN said: "We cannot preview our actions currently under consideration."

A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain or France - to pass.

The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, which do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.