Refugee conditions worsened after Saudi war against al-Houthi rebels

YEMEN - The 2-week old Saudi military operations to drive back al-Houthi rebels from the Saudi territories have worsened the humane situation and forced about 3,500-4,000 Yemenis refugees to return to Yemen.

They were hosted and sponsored by the Saudi authorities after they had fled their homes because of the war between the Yemeni government and al-Houthi rebels, which erupted more than three months ago.

At the beginning of the war, most of those were prevented by al-Houthi rebels from displacing to safer places inside Yemen. They displaced to the neighboring Saudi areas like al-Ghawya, al-Shaneq, and al-Khuba.

When al-Houthi rebels attacked and occupied the Saudi mountain of al-Dukhan in November 3, the Saudi authorities ordered all civilians at the border areas to leave for safer places including the Yemenis.

Yemenis were not allowed to further entry into the Saudi territories, as everyone, especially men were dealt as al-Houthi suspects.

Those came back from Saudi Arabia were staying outside the over-crowded al-Mazrak refugee camps until Friday November 13th, when I visited them.

The 45-year old Musfer Ali Ahmed al-Waleb escaped from a Saudi village in al-Ghawya, after he spent three months with his 30-member extensive family. Al-Waleb said that he and all men members were put in Saudi custody for 24 hours.

“They thought we were working with al-Houthis, even though they knew we spent three months in their sponsorship. They allowed only women and children to go via Saudi buses to al-Tiwal, where they were handed to Yemeni authorities in Haradh," al-Waleb said.

Musfer and the other men from his family stayed in Saudi custody from Friday noon until Saturday noon, November 6-7.

“The Saudi soldiers thought we were cooperating with al-Houthi rebels, some of us were beaten, and we were left alone in the custody without food, we drank only from the taps of the bathrooms,” said Musfer.

When asked whom they blame for what's happening to them, some said al-Houthi rebels must be blamed and some said they do not know at all who to blame. What they knew is that they are suffering.

"I blame al-Houthis for what's happening to us, they have goals to achieve from our sufferings," said 18-year old Rakan Mohammed Ali.

The 43-year old Ahmed Jar Allah al-Balwi who is Zaidi, said he was displaced only last week from Haidan, one of the most important strongholds of the rebels, because al-Houthis were harassing him and his family after almost every air strike on Haidan.

“They say we give information to the troops to strike their hideouts,” he said.

“Al-Houthis are not Zaidis, not Shafees (sunni), not even Muslims," said al-Balwi's 10-year old son, Abdul Ghafoor, when I asked his father why al-Houthis did this to him, as he is a Zaidi

The 66-year old Basam Muhsen Jar Allah blamed the government for what's happening to them, as the government was not serious in ending the rebellion from the beginning as they have previously claimed.

 “I blame the Yemeni government for this war. It is the government who made this war long, every round of war; the government was ending up with a deal in favor of the al-Houthis. The rebels were getting stronger and stronger in every round,” he said.

“The government and all citizens should realize that al-Houthis have no clear demands, they want only to rule Yemen, not just Sa'adah. This is impossible because they want to achieve this by force,” added Jarallah who is also a Zaidi refugee from Haidan.

About Iran's support for al-Houthi, Jarallah said, “Yes, there is clear support from Iran, for more than two years al-Houthis have been repeating the speeches of Khomeni and Hassan Nasr Allah as the only scholars of Islam. They insulted the other scholars of Saudi Arabia and Egypt.”

The war in the Yemeni-Saudi borders greatly affected many people from both sides, like the 45-year old Ali Ali Abdu, who says his business in smuggling has completely stopped because of the war.

“I blame Saudi Arabia for my sufferings now. Before the war against al-Houthis, I was fine smuggling wheat, flour, and qat and other things and I used to make money to support myself and my family, but now I cannot even feed myself," said Ali Abdu.

The 55-year old Ahmed Abdullah al-Manjashi along with 8 members of his family are also still outside the over crowded camp of al-Mazrak. In a small tent outside the camp, he says we do not receive any food or water from the camp, we just registered and we were told to wait.

About 4,000 Yemenis of those displaced from Saudi territories are still also like the al-Manjashi family, waiting for registration to receive assistance from al-Mazrak camp. More than 8,000 refugees receive food, water, shelter and medicine from relief agencies at al-Mazrak camp.

Over the past three months, the family of al-Manjashi shifted to four different places fleeing the fighting.

“At the beginning of the war, we first displaced to Razeh, and when war came there, we were displaced to al-Husama, then to the Saudi area of al-Khuba, and only last week, we are displaced to this camp al-Mazrak. Now, we are still outside it as you can see," he said.

Related Content

•   Yemen PM: Effective turn out in election will give change more legitimacy
•   Russian President’s envoy to visit Yemen soon
•   Children prosecute Yemen crisis in a film screened on al-Aqeeq TV
•  Yemen VP launches presidential election campaign amid different factions’ rallies of anti election
•   Confrontations break out between Sothern militants and Yemen forces, two killed
•  Innovative technology enables grass-roots election monitoring in Yemen
•   Yemen VP launches early presidential election campaign officially
•   Yemen VP, US diplomat review political settlement progress
•   Tens killed in confrontations between Houthis and Salafies in North Yemen
•   Yemen PM receives Cuban diplomat