Rights Group Documents Over 1,000 Seizures by Houthis in Ibb Governorate

A human rights organization has documented over one thousand instances of government institutions, civil society organizations, and private properties being seized by Houthi forces in Yemen's Ibb Governorate over the past decade.

The monitoring group, Rased for Rights and Freedoms, stated in a recent report that the Houthi militia has engaged in more than a thousand acts of looting, targeting homes, properties, lands, and both civil and governmental institutions across various districts under the militia's control since mid-October 2014.

The organization confirmed its documentation of 1,068 looting operations within the governorate. These operations encompassed governmental and civil institutions, private properties and real estate belonging to citizens, state assets, as well as public and private funds.

The report detailed the militia's seizure of 292 civil and public institutions, 459 homes, 18 private and governmental schools, 11 charitable associations, 16 mosques including their libraries, residences, and attached facilities, 76 exchange offices, 8 hospitals and health centers, five party headquarters, and 4 educational institutions. Additionally, the properties of 178 individuals were confiscated.

The report further highlighted the militia's annual appropriation of 50 billion Yemeni Rials from the governorate's taxes and customs, alongside 37 billion Rials from Zakat funds. This occurs while revenues from most official institutions in the Al-Thahar and Al-Mashnah districts of the provincial capital, amounting to hundreds of millions over past years, are also being plundered.

The report also pointed to the significant embezzlement of funds from the governorate's endowments (Waqf) and its properties and real estate. Substantial amounts were also taken from other revenue-generating institutions, including the Cleanliness and Improvement Fund, the Water Corporation, and the University of Ibb.