Houthis Accused of Forcibly Displacing 4 Villages in Hodeidah

Arab World

September 15th, 8:36am

Aden - Mohammed Nasser

Houthi followers carry their rifles as they attend a gathering to show support for the Houthi movement in Sanaa (Reuters)

The Houthi militias started a large-scale campaign of demographic change in the southern districts of Hodeidah, displacing hundreds of residents from four villages and replacing them with residents from Saada and Hajjah. The new plot is part of the Houthi scheme to change the demography of Sunni areas in particular, as they did in Sanaa. Residents and local sources on the western coast told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthi militias began their operation last Tuesday and isolated the four villages using excessive force. They prevented the injured from being treated and launched a campaign of arrests that targeted more than 70 residents and village officials. - Real Estate Confiscations and Arrests The sources reported that large number of militia forces are carrying out a forcible displacement operation in al-Maarif, al-Hadaryah, Bani al-Sahel, Bani al-Sabahi, and the villages in al-Qasra. It cordoned the area and prevented access to the road linking al-Hodeidah and the al-Hussainiya area, south of the Bait al-Faqih district According to the sources, the Houthi armed men warned the residents of those villages to evacuate their homes and farms under the pretext that these lands belong to the endowments. In fact, they wanted to evacuate the residents and bring in others from Saada and Hajjah after concluding fake contracts under the names of influential figures in Hodeidah who serve the militias. According to local sources, dozens of armed military vehicles raided the villages and arrested over 70 people from the residents of those villages, including 12 officials. The militias also transferred al-Taqwa Mosque and its annexes south of Bait al-Faqih to prison for residents who opposed the campaign. It also prevented ambulances from treating the injured, including 18 women. The residents defied the military campaign, refusing to vacate their homes and farms. The militias used 30 military vehicles loaded with armed men to conduct their campaign, accompanied by eight bulldozers, that leveled the farms. The area the militias seek to confiscate is estimated at 10 square kilometers, according to the sources, housing over 5,000 persons. They inherited the sites from their ancestors hundreds of years ago. The sources indicated that the campaign is led by the Houthi security leader Abu Yassin, from Saada. He is accompanied by the leader Abu Ahmed al-Hadi, the leader of the Fronts’ Mobilization Committee in Hodeidah, the intelligence official, Abu Amin, and the supervisor of the Bait al-Faqih district, Abu Atef. - Government condemnation The Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Moammar al-Eryani, condemned the terrorist Houthi militia raid, saying they stormed dozens of houses, fired indiscriminately, and arrested nearly 70 citizens, including dignitaries and children, as part of a comprehensive campaign to loot lands. Eryani said the “heinous crime” comes within the plan of terrorist militia to confiscate more than 10 km of land owned by locals, “benefiting about 5,000 citizens and has been used for watering, pasture, and farms, after issuing instructions to confiscate it and turn it into a restricted military area.” He called on the international community, the UN, human rights organizations, the UN and US envoys to condemn this heinous crime and pressure Houthi militia to stop confiscating civilians’ lands and properties in Hodeidah Governorate, immediately release all detainees and return the displaced to their homes.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3875436/houthis-accused-forcibly-displacing-4-villages-hodeidah