Residents in Ibb governorate, southwest Yemen, suffer from bread shortage after the Houthi militia shut down 18 bakeries to blackmail their owners.
Local sources in Ibb reported that militia targeted, since last Wednesday, bakeries in at least three districts, claiming that they violated measures, prices, and instructions.
The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the bakeries' extortion campaigns are supervised by Houthi commander Qasim al-Masawi, appointed deputy governor.
Within two days, 18 bakeries were shut down in Ibb countryside, Az-Zahhar, and al-Mashnah, while the recently-formed collection committees targeted the remaining bakeries.
According to the sources, the Houthi militia in Ibb reopened some bakeries a few hours later after their owners paid sums of money.
- Hard-to-find loaf
Residents in the governorate said that obtaining a loaf of bread in their areas has become very difficult, especially in light of the lack of cooking gas and high prices. The Houthi also control the distribution and sales.
They explained that bread shortage in their areas was one of the many crises the Houthis caused since their coup, noting that crime rates increased daily amid widespread rights violations.
A bakery owner in Ibb told Asharq Al-Awsat that bakery owners intend to protest in front of the local authority building, demanding an end to the violations and the reopening of the bakeries that the group recently closed.
He said that the militias' closure of three of his bakeries and dozens of other bakeries came after a surprising field visit, accompanied by a series of false accusations and allegations fabricated to intimidate and blackmail them and then loot their money.
The owner, afraid to reveal his name, warned of a forced halt of many bakeries in Ibb if the group continued its campaigns.
He revealed that the real reason behind the militias' campaign was their refusal to pay illegal royalties.
- Abusive campaigns
Local sources in Ibb reported that the group launched eight campaigns since the beginning of the year against bakeries all over the governorate.
Residents in the densely populated governorate suffer from miserable living conditions, especially with food supplies, epidemics, increased crime levels, and salaries non-payment.
Over the past eight years, Ibb and other cities were in danger of complete shutdown. Some bakeries were forced to close, while others stopped their operations in protest against the Houthi violations.
Bakeries' owners resorted to strikes and protests, but they were unsuccessful, and the group maintained its policy of imprisonment, threats, assault, and looting.
International and local organizations confirm that about 21 million people, out of 27 million in Yemen, need humanitarian aid, while more than 100,000 people have lost their lives due to the deadly epidemics and diseases.
