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Yemeni Rial Regains a Third of Its Value Amid Government Push to Curb Soaring Prices

Bundles of banknotes issued by the Yemeni government at the Central Bank headquarters in Aden. (Reuters)
Bundles of banknotes issued by the Yemeni government at the Central Bank headquarters in Aden. (Reuters)
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Yemeni Rial Regains a Third of Its Value Amid Government Push to Curb Soaring Prices

Bundles of banknotes issued by the Yemeni government at the Central Bank headquarters in Aden. (Reuters)
Bundles of banknotes issued by the Yemeni government at the Central Bank headquarters in Aden. (Reuters)

The Yemeni rial has regained nearly 30 percent of its value in government-controlled areas over the past few days. The recovery comes amid intensified efforts by both central and local authorities to stabilize commodity prices in line with the currency’s rebound against foreign currencies.

Banking sources in the interim capital, Aden, confirmed that the exchange rate of the US dollar dropped on Saturday to around 1,800 rials, down from nearly 2,900 rials in recent weeks. The sharp appreciation has sparked cautious optimism among citizens, many of whom have endured relentless price hikes on basic goods in recent months.

The rial’s rapid recovery is largely attributed to direct interventions by the Central Bank of Yemen, most notably its decision to revoke the licenses of 24 exchange companies accused of currency manipulation.

The bank also introduced a set of regulatory measures aimed at tightening oversight of the financial sector in coordination with commercial banks and money transfer agencies.

In response to the developments, Yemeni Prime Minister Salem bin Braik instructed the Ministry of Industry and Trade to deploy joint field inspection teams.

The teams will conduct comprehensive campaigns to monitor and enforce fair pricing for essential foodstuffs, aiming to ease the financial burden on citizens and ensure prices reflect the improved exchange rate.

“The government is bound to protect citizens’ interests while also safeguarding the private sector and encouraging investment,” the Prime Minister stated.

Any improvement in the currency’s value must be mirrored by corresponding reductions in the prices of imported basic commodities, particularly those brought in by major traders using foreign currency, he added.

Minister of Industry and Trade Mohammed Al-Ashwal echoed the call for broad governmental cooperation, urging local authorities, judiciary bodies, and security forces to support the inspection committees in their mission.

He revealed that an urgent directive had been issued to all provincial offices of the ministry to intensify market inspections and enforce compliance with adjusted pricing.

Al-Ashwal warned that violators could face the revocation of their business licenses and inclusion in a national blacklist if found guilty of price manipulation or ignoring official directives. He called on suppliers and merchants to adhere to what he termed “fair prices” in order to protect the national economy and avoid punitive action.

The latest reforms are part of a broader economic recovery plan endorsed by the Presidential Leadership Council, he said. This plan includes boosting financial and administrative oversight, regulating imports, and stabilizing the exchange market in partnership with the Central Bank and licensed exchange firms.

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Arab World

Jordan Military Says Shot Down 5 Missiles from Iran

A drone view shows military engineering teams working at the site where an Iranian missile, according to local authorities, fell in the countryside near Damascus, Syria, June 9, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view shows military engineering teams working at the site where an Iranian missile, according to local authorities, fell in the countryside near Damascus, Syria, June 9, 2026. (Reuters)
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Jordan Military Says Shot Down 5 Missiles from Iran

A drone view shows military engineering teams working at the site where an Iranian missile, according to local authorities, fell in the countryside near Damascus, Syria, June 9, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view shows military engineering teams working at the site where an Iranian missile, according to local authorities, fell in the countryside near Damascus, Syria, June 9, 2026. (Reuters)

The Jordanian military said on Wednesday it shot down five missiles launched from Iran, as Tehran and Washington engaged in tit-for-tat strikes after the downing of a US helicopter.

"We intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran towards Azraq. The interception resulted in debris falling, but there were no casualties or material damage," the Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement.

The United States launched airstrikes early Wednesday against Iran after blaming Tehran for the crash of an American attack helicopter. Iran responded with attacks targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, part of a widening round of retaliatory strikes that threaten to derail talks to reach an end to the Iran war.

Since the US and Israel began striking Iran on Feb. 28, the war has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices around the world and made many basics, including food, more expensive.

Officials have been unable to turn the April ceasefire into a deal to permanently end the conflict, particularly as Israel intensifies and expands its military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.

The downing of the Apache attack helicopter and the strikes by the US military further strained the ceasefire a day after Iran and Israel exchanged fire for the first time since the fragile truce took effect.

Iranian state television said Tuesday that the Israeli attacks killed at least two members of the country’s air-defense units.

Arab World

Eight Killed in Israeli Strike on Lebanon’s Tyre

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Tyre on June 9, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Tyre on June 9, 2026. (AFP)
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Eight Killed in Israeli Strike on Lebanon’s Tyre

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Tyre on June 9, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Tyre on June 9, 2026. (AFP)

Israel struck the historic port city of Tyre in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, in an escalation that adds strain to efforts to broker a peace deal to end the wider Middle East war.

On Monday, Israel and Iran halted direct attacks on each other after an appeal by US President Donald Trump, but Tehran warned it would resume hostilities if Israel continued to attack its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The raids were the deadliest on Tyre since fighting erupted in Lebanon in early March, when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in support of Tehran after Israel and the United States began their war against Iran.

Israel had issued an evacuation order for the city earlier on Tuesday.

Residents fled and civil defense teams transported elderly residents into temporary shelters, state media reported.

The eight victims were killed in a ‌single strike on ‌the city's eastern edge, Lebanon's health ministry said.

A video verified by Reuters showed debris strewn ‌across ⁠a road at the ⁠site of the attack.

Israel's refusal to end its campaign in Lebanon, as Iran demands, has hindered Trump's efforts to extend a tenuous ceasefire in the wider US-Israeli war with Iran into a durable settlement.

US and Israeli officials said Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had spoken on Monday.

In an interview with Axios, Trump said he had warned the Israeli leader not to return to war with Iran: "I said, 'Bibi, you better be careful, or you will be on your own very soon.'"

Tehran has long said any peace deal with the US depends in part on an end to fighting in Lebanon, which Israel invaded in March in pursuit of Hezbollah fighters who had fired across the border.

In northern Israel on Tuesday, Israeli troops operating in the Ramim Ridge area close to Lebanon's border killed one person in an incident in which they returned fire, the military said.

Israel has never halted its Lebanon campaign, which has killed thousands of people, saying the conflict should be treated separately from any US-Iranian ceasefire. Hezbollah has also continued its attacks.

Arab World

First War Crimes Complaint Against Sudan’s RSF Filed in Kenya

Lawyers Antonio Mulvay, left, and Willis Otieno, center, who are part of the legal team filing a law suit against Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on behalf of Sudanese torture victims, speak to the media in Nairobi, Tuesday June 9, 2026. (AP)
Lawyers Antonio Mulvay, left, and Willis Otieno, center, who are part of the legal team filing a law suit against Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on behalf of Sudanese torture victims, speak to the media in Nairobi, Tuesday June 9, 2026. (AP)
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First War Crimes Complaint Against Sudan’s RSF Filed in Kenya

Lawyers Antonio Mulvay, left, and Willis Otieno, center, who are part of the legal team filing a law suit against Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on behalf of Sudanese torture victims, speak to the media in Nairobi, Tuesday June 9, 2026. (AP)
Lawyers Antonio Mulvay, left, and Willis Otieno, center, who are part of the legal team filing a law suit against Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on behalf of Sudanese torture victims, speak to the media in Nairobi, Tuesday June 9, 2026. (AP)

Victims of alleged atrocities linked to the war in Sudan on Tuesday asked prosecutors in Kenya to investigate allegations of torture and sexual violence by members of a notorious paramilitary group.

It is the first attempt to prosecute members of the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, the paramilitary group fighting against the Sudanese military for over three years, outside Sudan.

The group, which has been accused by rights organizations of committing atrocities amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, has ties with Kenya’s government, while Kenyan President William Ruto has previously hosted RSF leader Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo for talks that he said were aimed at advancing peace efforts in Sudan, a move that sparked diplomatic tensions.

The complaint filed by the Switzerland-based global legal organization Legal Action Worldwide details torture and sexual violence committed by RSF members at various locations in and around Khartoum between April 2023 and March 2025 when the Sudanese capital was controlled by the paramilitaries.

The 12 victims are urging Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions to approve charges against 10 members of the RSF, some of whom are believed to be residing in Kenya.

The Associated Press has contacted the RSF for a comment.

According to this latest complaint, the victims were held in inhumane conditions, with little or no food, limited access to water, and inadequate sanitation facilities. They allege that they were beaten, burned, suffocated, subjected to electric shocks, and sexually abused, including through rape. Some were reportedly forced to transport dead bodies from detention facilities.

Legal Action Worldwide founder Antonia Mulvey said Kenya should consider prosecuting the alleged crimes under the country’s International Crimes Act of 2008.

“For Kenya, despite the sensitivity of the matter, it is an opportunity to lead in the fight against impunity. Authorities can now demonstrate the strength of the country’s investigative, prosecutorial, and judicial institutions in addressing the most serious international crimes, regardless of where they are committed,” she said.

The RSF has been at war with the Sudanese military since April 2023, when tensions between the two sides erupted into open conflict in Khartoum and other parts of the country.

The group emerged from the notorious Janjaweed militias, which were accused of widespread atrocities in the early 2000s against communities identifying as East or Central African in Sudan’s western Darfur region.

The RSF has been accused by human rights organizations and the United Nations of committing atrocities during the conflict that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in Darfur, where the group maintains a strong presence.

Mulvey argued that the victims are unlikely to obtain justice in Sudan because the country’s justice system is currently “inaccessible, unavailable, and ineffective.”

She said the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction is limited to Darfur and does not extend to crimes committed in or around Khartoum.

Willis Otieno, a lawyer in Kenya who filed the complaint locally, said there was information suggesting that some of the persons of interest have links to Kenya and that the country possesses the legal framework necessary to investigate and prosecute such crimes.

Otieno described Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as competent, adding: “We have faith that the office will act. For now, let’s treat them with that goodwill.”

The RSF has in the past been accused of mass killing, gang rape, and ethnicity-motivated crimes, most recently in October during an assault on the Darfur city of el-Fashir, in which over 6,000 people were killed in three days. UN-commissioned experts have described the offensive as bearing the “hallmarks of genocide.”

In one of its last decisions, the Biden administration accused the group of genocide and imposed sanctions of its commanders, including Dagalo.

The war killed at least 59,000 people over the course of three years, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, a US-based war tracking group which said the toll was almost certainly undercut given the difficulties in reporting.

The conflict has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with about 34 million people — almost two out of every three Sudanese — need assistance, according to the UN.