Houthi militias block charity initiatives aimed at aiding school students in Sanaa and its rural surroundings.

In a move that further hampers humanitarian efforts aimed at alleviating the burdens faced by thousands of Yemeni families, Houthi militias have halted several charitable initiatives designed to support school students in Sana’a and its rural areas. The group confiscated school supplies intended for hundreds of students, marking a significant blow to educational support activities in the region.

The militias launched surprise campaigns targeting approximately 27 initiatives that were actively distributing school necessities to hundreds of impoverished students across various neighborhoods in the city of Sana’a. Additionally, other initiatives and volunteers in the rural districts of Bani Matar and Sanhan were also targeted.

In a series of oppressive raids, dozens of volunteers working with these initiatives were arbitrarily arrested and imprisoned. According to sources, the group also seized large quantities of school supplies, including bags, notebooks, pens, and uniforms. Some of these confiscated items were allocated for the benefit of the families of the group’s deceased and wounded members, while the remainder was sold in the market for illicit profit.

Volunteers who have been targeted by the Houthi crackdown in Sana’a spoke to Al Sharq Al Awsat about the intensification of campaigns of repression and looting aimed at stealing all collected school materials intended for poor students. This, they claim, is part of the group’s efforts to hinder the educational process and to keep as many students as possible out of school this year for potential mobilization and recruitment.

To avoid detection by Houthi informants and spies, the volunteers have resorted to working during the early morning hours and after dusk.

Volunteer work, especially in areas under Houthi control, represents a significant opportunity for many Yemenis, including young people who see it as an escape from the war and a chance to avoid participation in the conflict, as explained by one activist in Sana’a.

Since the years following their coup and the ensuing war, the Houthi group has employed various methods to tighten its grip on humanitarian and charitable institutions and initiatives. In contrast, it has shut down hundreds of such entities under its control and established others loyal to it, in an effort to dominate all charitable and humanitarian activities.

Many institutions and initiatives have previously complained about the Houthi group’s interference in their activities, including attempts to impose its own agenda during the distribution of various aids and practicing financial extortion. This has forced many of these associations to cease operations amidst the dire conditions still faced by Yemenis living under Houthi control.

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