Yemen Minister Questions UNMHA Silence over Houthi Violations

Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani. (Reuters)
Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani. (Reuters)
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Yemen Minister Questions UNMHA Silence over Houthi Violations

Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani. (Reuters)
Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani. (Reuters)

Yemeni Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Moammar Al-Eryani questioned on Saturday the silence of the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) over the violations committed by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in the country.

“We are surprised to see UN Head of Mission in Hodeidah and Chairman of Redeployment Coordination Committee, General Abhijit Guha silent towards the Houthi militias’ continued violations of the Sweden Agreement and their attack on the Mocha port, which is a civilian facility and on aid warehouses, endangering the lives of workers,” the minister said in a series of tweets.

He strongly denounced the “treacherous and cowardly terrorist attack”, saying the militias used four Iranian-made drones in their attack against the historic port of Mocha, where they burned the warehouses of a number of relief organizations operating on the west coast.

The attack took place a few weeks after the port had resumed operation.

“It represents a continuation of Houthi attacks against civilian location and the systematic destruction of infrastructure with an aim to take Yemen centuries back,” said the minister.

He noted that the attack coincides with the anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States. It again confirms that the Houthis are a terrorist organization similar to al-Qaeda and ISIS.

“The intensification of political and military pressure, in addition to designating the Houthis as terrorists remain the only way to establish security and stability in Yemen and the region,” Eryani said.

He called on the international community, the UN and US envoys to clearly condemn the Mocha attack, which comes days after the new UN envoy assumed his duties.

The attack must be deemed a war crime and part of the militias’ continued destruction of infrastructure and obstruction of aid to deepen the country’s humanitarian crisis, he added.



Syrian Caretaker Government to Hike Public Sector Salaries by 400% Next Month

 Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
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Syrian Caretaker Government to Hike Public Sector Salaries by 400% Next Month

 Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Graffiti of the Syrian revolution flag is painted on a mosaic of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria January 2, 2025. (Reuters)

Syria's finance minister said on Sunday the government would hike salaries for many public sector employees by 400% next month after completing an administrative restructuring of ministries to boost efficiency and accountability.

The increase, estimated to cost 1.65 trillion Syrian pounds, or about $127 million at current rates, will be financed by existing state resources plus a combination of regional aid, new investments, and efforts to unfreeze Syrian assets held abroad.

"(This is) the first step towards an emergency solution to the economic reality in the country," Mohammed Abazeed, the finance minister in Syria's caretaker government, told Reuters, adding that this month's wages for public sector staff would be paid out this week.

These measures are part of a broader strategy by Syria's new caretaker government to stabilize the country's economy following 13 years of conflict and sanctions.

Salaries of Syria's public sector employees under toppled President Bashar al-Assad's regime were around $25 a month, putting them below the poverty line, along with the majority of the country's population, Abazeed said.

The hike would follow a comprehensive evaluation of up to 1.3 million registered public sector employees to remove fictitious employees from the payroll and would affect those with sufficient expertise, academic qualifications, and the necessary skills for reconstruction.

Syria's state treasury is facing liquidity challenges emerging from a war. The majority of money available in the central bank is Syrian currency, which has lost much of its value. However, the new government was promised assistance from regional and Arab countries, the minister said.

"The launch of investments in the country in the near future will also benefit the state treasury and allow us to finance this salary increase," he said, adding the central bank currently has sufficient funds to finance the next few months.

The government expects to retrieve up to $400 million in frozen Syrian assets abroad, which could co-finance the initial government expenses.

Syria's caretaker government is also discussing exempting taxpayers, as much as possible, from penalties and interest and working on overhauling the tax system within the next three months to achieve tax justice for all taxpayers, with a first draft expected within four months.

"By the end of this year, we expect having a well-designed tax system that takes the interests of all taxpayers into account," he added.