10 Jan Yemen condemns Houthi burning of dozens of homes in Hodeidah
A Yemen minister has condemned Houthi who attacked and burned 40 homes in the western province of Hodeidah.
The attack came as a retaliation to those that have previously opposed the Iran-backed Houthis. The group set ablaze dozens of empty houses belonging to the Yemeni government supporters in villages including Al-Taif, Markoudha, Al-Shujaira and Al-Nakhila.
Military officials and ordinary people who had supported the government forces in Hodeidah said that armed Houthis stormed several villages before burning their houses and seizing their property. Images have been circulated on social media showing several huts on fire as a result of the attack.
Ibrahim Al-Lahji, a military official at the government’s Tehama Resistance, said: “The Houthis burnt more than 40 houses belonging to 40 families and confiscated our farms.”
Muammar Al-Eryani, Yemen minister of information, has spoken out since the attack and condemned the Houthis actions. He shared his condemnation via his Twitter account, and asked for the UN and human rights organisations to support his government against this “clearly and explicitly condemn this heinous terrorist crime.”
In another tweet, he called for the UN to decree “the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization and prosecute its leaders in international courts as war criminals.”
The battle against the Houthi militants has been ongoing, with incidents ongoing since as far back as 2014. Since gaining military power militarily, the Houthi have abducted many Yemen residents and attacked others. They have also put on trial hundreds of military commanders, politicians, activists, journalists and tribal and religious leaders, as well as confiscating their houses and other property.