Yemen’s Houthis: Saudi coalition responsible for economic, humanitarian crises

Yemen’s Houthi group on Sunday said it held the Saudi-led Arab coalition responsible for the country’s economic and humanitarian crises, calling for a fact-finding committee to investigate the coalition’s activities in Yemen.

In a post on Twitter, Chairman of the Houthis’ Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, accused the coalition of imposing royalties on the Yemenis in return for allowing the entry of basic material, adding that the coalition has seized “oil derivatives in order to double its bill for the citizen, rejected the United Nations permits to allow their entry, plundered oil and wealth and undermined the currency.”

“We call for a fact-finding team,” he said without further details.

There was no immediate comment from the coalition.

For nearly seven years, Yemen has witnessed a violent war between government forces backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Iranian-backed Houthi group.

According to the United Nations, the war has killed 233,000 people, and left about 80 per cent of the population – or 30 million people – dependent on aid.