Houthi Gunman Kills One, Wounds Another Over Illegal Taxes in Ibb

A young man was killed and another critically injured on Friday when a Houthi militia gunman opened fire in the Mudiqhirah district of Ibb Governorate, central Yemen. The incident stemmed from a dispute over illegal financial levies imposed by the group on qat sellers.

Local sources reported that the altercation occurred at a Houthi checkpoint. A verbal argument erupted between a militia member and the two young men when the latter were asked to pay additional, unlawful sums of money. The situation escalated when the Houthi gunman directly fired at the two individuals as they attempted to leave the checkpoint in their vehicle.

According to the sources, the incident resulted in the immediate death of the young man identified as Wazir Qassem Abdulrab Al-Qasmi. The other young man, Bashar Mohammed Alwan, was transported to the hospital in critical condition due to severe injuries.

This incident takes place amidst growing public discontent in Ibb Governorate. The escalating frequency of doubled financial levies and "taxes" imposed by militia gunmen on merchants and qat sellers, particularly as the Eid al-Adha holiday approaches, is placing a significant burden on citizens and exacerbating security tensions in the governorate.