Yemen, 18 March 2021 (DNA) : Govt of Yemen categorically rejects all assertions & allegations of a blockade on Yemen barring any food & commercial shipping from entering Ports of #Hodeida & #Salif. This false narrative is also refuted by records of UNVIM.
1/13
The actual problem is related to #oil shipments, and how #Houthis use those revenues to support their war efforts rather than for people, in glaring violation of its obligations under #UN agreements. 2/13
To further clarify, please note the following:
1) In 2020, per the #Stockholm Agreement between Govt & #Houthis on #Hodeida, @UN forged an agreement for entry of oil derivative ships and process for revenues, setting up a joint account to deposit taxes & customs.
3/13
2) For #oil derivative ships, they would be under the supervision of #UN and in order to pay the salaries of government employees in #Houthi controlled areas. 4/13
3) With the implementation of the agreement, dozens of ships initially entered and deposited tax and customs revenues reaching an amount of 35 billion Yemeni riyals. However, after two months, #Houthi militias then looted these funds. 5/13
4) @OSE_Yemen indicated in his briefing to #UNSC on May 14, 2020, & April 16, 2020, #Houthis announced their “intention” to withdraw funds from a private account at the Central Bank of Yemen branch in #Hodeida. 6/13
5)
@OSE_Yemen then repeatedly requested documents required to verify the activity of this account. #Houthis have yet to respond despite many requests. This in turn stopped the implementation of the agreement. 7/13
6) Consequently, the legitimate Govt of #Yemen was forced to pay the salaries of those working in civilian sectors of #Houthi occupied areas despite Houthis’ controlling key state resources. 8/13
7) The #UN Panel of Experts on Yemen United Nations Sanctions Committee explained in its last report that #Houthis plundered one billion eight hundred million dollars in revenues within one year and used them for their war effort. 9/13
Therefore, the problem is that #Houthis are still plundering revenues of oil derivatives and using resources to procure arms to attack civilians, and with designs to expand their control by force over entire #Yemeni people.
10/13
So how can the #Houthis claim that there is a shortage of #oil derivatives that has caused a deterioration in the #humanitarian situation and yet they carry out their large scale military campaigns? 11/13
Thus, since April 2020, even when #Houthis were receiving revenues from oil derivatives, they were not using them to pay salaries to #Yemeni employees and the #humanitarian situation has gotten worse. 12/13
And despite all intl appeals for calm and a ceasefire (which the Govt & Coalition has greatly abided by), #Houthis are escalating violence in addition to still compounding the #humanitarian crisis.
13/13
