Taiz Governorate Warns Against Houthi Recruitment, Threatens Legal Action

The local authority in Taiz Governorate, southwestern Yemen, has urged citizens, guardians, educators, and youth to reject the forced recruitment and mobilization campaigns being conducted by the Houthi militia in several districts of the governorate. The authority issued a stern warning against participation in sectarian mobilization activities, emphasizing that those involved in facilitating or supporting such efforts will face legal accountability.

In a statement released by the governorate's Information Office, the local authority indicated that it is closely monitoring the Houthi militia's attempts to impose sectarian mobilization programs on educational and community institutions, alter curricula, and target children and youth with ideological indoctrination. The statement stressed that these practices undermine national identity and erode the principles of the republican system.

The statement further highlighted that the militia is forcefully implementing its agenda in areas under its control, coinciding with the ongoing siege of Taiz city and the shelling of residential neighborhoods, which has resulted in civilian casualties. This occurs despite the militia's claims of opening roads and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The local authority cautioned against the repercussions of recruiting children and school students and sending them to the front lines, thereby depriving them of education and a secure life. It implored families to protect their children and prevent their exploitation in mobilization activities.

Those implicated in facilitating the Houthi militia's activities or cooperating with them were called upon to cease their support and avail themselves of the general amnesty declared by the state's leadership. The authority reiterated that forced recruitment, espionage, financing the group, or facilitating its operations will result in legal prosecution and penalties, in accordance with the statement from the Presidential Leadership Council.

The local authority affirmed Taiz's commitment to the republican system, principles of equal citizenship, freedom, and human dignity, and its rejection of imposing sectarian ideologies or monopolizing power. Citizens were urged to protect educational and community institutions and to refrain from engaging in activities that could prolong the war and exacerbate the suffering of Yemenis.