Houthi militia jeopardises the lives of thousands of fishermen

Muammar al Eryani, the Yemeni Minister of Information said that Houthi militia used booby-trapped fishing boats carrying fishermen-like mannequins, in its recent attack on the ship M/V Tutor in the Red Sea, which threatens the collapse of Yemen’s fish production, and puts the lives of thousands of Yemeni fishermen in danger.

Muammar al Eryani added in a press statement, "This dangerous escalation reveals the nature of the Houthi militia as a terrorist organisation, without any concern for the political, economic, and humanitarian repercussions, as well as the failure of international engagement with the serious threats posed by the Houthi militia and the need to reconsider ways to confront its terrorist activities."

Al Eryani pointed out that government statistics indicate that about (300,000) people work in the fishing profession, on board (33,000) boats and support nearly (2,000,000) in Hodeidah Governorate and that 60 percent of fishermen have lost their jobs and lost their sources of livelihood as a result of the Houthi militia’s militarisation of the coasts and islands under its control, Yemeni News Agency (SABA) reported.

Al-Eryani called on the international community and the United Nations to work on a coordinated response to confront the activities of the Houthi militia, and to avoid the catastrophic risks of its terrorist attacks on international shipping lines, by immediately beginning to label it as a "terrorist organisation," drying up its financial, political, and media sources, and moving in a parallel path to provide real support to the government to restore the state imposed its control over the entire Yemeni territory.