An investigative report has uncovered extensive and organized looting of marble resources in Yemen's Marib Governorate, warning that the "white gold" is transforming from a national asset into a source of funding for war economy networks. The report, produced by DW in collaboration with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), reveals widespread chaos in the mining sector. The mountains of Marib, particularly in the Al-Thaniyah region, are being depleted far from the oversight of the official state. This area contains some of the finest marble reserves in the Arabian Peninsula, a treasure discovered decades ago by Sheikh Hamad bin Shag Al-Obaidi. In the absence of central state authority, these reserves have become de facto private fiefdoms. The investigation found that extraction operations are conducted outside the technical supervision of the Ministry of Oil and Minerals. Instead of official contracts that secure state rights, local and tribal forces, reportedly affiliated with the Islah Party, control the quarries. Operations are managed with a "spoils of war" mentality, and mountains are excavated using haphazard methods that have led to the waste of vast quantities of mineral wealth. The investigative team traced the smuggling routes from the quarries to international markets, using exclusive documents and export data that demonstrated the extent of manipulation in the actual value of shipments. The investigation detailed how influential networks circumvent sovereign laws by exporting large commercial quantities under the guise of "technical samples for evaluation." This legal loophole allows smugglers to pass through border crossings without paying due customs duties or taxes, as confirmed by records showing tens of tons leaving Yemen at nominal prices on official paperwork, only to be sold at exorbitant prices abroad. Furthermore, the report indicated that the marble sector is now managed within a "parallel economy" that benefits influential parties and warlords. Legal taxes are replaced by levies and fees paid at unofficial checkpoints in exchange for security protection for the trucks. Observers believe this situation has not only deprived the state of its resources but has also fostered fertile ground for corruption, hindering transparent national investment and entrenching the control of armed groups over natural resources. The depletion of Marib's marble is thus seen as a squandering of future generations' inheritance and an undermining of reconstruction opportunities, with these riches ultimately adorning luxury buildings and hotels worldwide, leaving behind pockets of poverty and despair in the heart of the Yemeni desert. |
