Between hope and fear: Yemenis react to Houthi blockade on Saudi Arabia
Yemenis react to Houthi blockade on Saudi Arabia, with some fearing a renewed war and others seeing it as a step towards ending Saudi hegemony in Yemen.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
The Houthi military spokesperson announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, with some Yemenis fearing a renewed war and others seeing it as a step towards ending Saudi hegemony in Yemen. The blockade has been met with mixed reactions, with some civilians expressing fear over the potential consequences and others seeing it as a necessary measure to defend Yemen's sovereignty.
Imagine you're living in a country that's been at war for a long time. There's a group called the Houthis who are fighting against another country called Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have just announced that they're going to block Saudi Arabia's ships from coming into their ports. This means that Saudi Arabia might not be able to get the things it needs, like food and oil. Some people are scared because they think this could lead to more fighting and make it harder for them to survive. Others think it's a good thing because it might help Yemen become more independent from Saudi Arabia.
Analysis
A Jolt to Yemenis: The Houthi Blockade on Saudi Arabia
The announcement of a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia by the Houthi military spokesperson has sent shockwaves through Yemen, with many civilians fearing a renewed war and others seeing it as a necessary measure to defend Yemen's sovereignty. The blockade has been met with mixed reactions, with some Yemenis expressing fear over the potential consequences and others seeing it as a step towards ending Saudi hegemony in Yemen.
For Ammar Saleh, a 32-year-old schoolteacher in Sanaa, the news has come as a jolt. He believes that Sanaa and other Houthi-controlled Yemeni provinces could once again become a battlefield and could be hit with fuel shortages and a worsening humanitarian crisis. "Imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia is not a minor move, and we will not be immune from its repercussions," Ammar told Al Jazeera.
While many civilians are anxious over the fallout of the decision to confront Saudi Arabia, Houthi supporters describe it as a step towards ending what they perceive to be Riyadh's hegemony in Yemen. Supporters of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, meanwhile, see the Houthi attacks as evidence of the group's "obedience to Iran's orders".
Civilians who say they support neither side in the war have expressed fear over what may come next. Abdulla Yahya, a 25-year-old construction worker in Sanaa, said civilian suffering becomes "unseen during the chaos of war". Abdulla told Al Jazeera that any Houthi-Saudi Arabian military face-off will complicate the lives of everyday people in Yemen and will make "survival a harder task".
Yemen's warring parties have emphasised their preparedness for war, but Abdulla says he is not. "I wanted to buy an extra cooking gas cylinder and get additional food commodities, such as flour, rice and cooking oil. But I could not afford that. Getting those would cost me about 55,000 Yemeni riyals [$230]," said the father of three.
The ongoing escalation risks dragging Yemen back into wider conflict, further compounding a hunger crisis that aid agencies have said is already spiralling. Almost 20 million people in Yemen need humanitarian aid, according to United Nations estimates, and the lack of a political settlement to the conflict continues to add to the complexity.
A sense of euphoria prevailed among Houthi supporters in Sanaa when the group announced the naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. Mohammed Ali, a Sanaa-based 26-year-old Houthi supporter, said that Sanaa will not be subordinate to Riyadh forever, and that the embargo is a reminder to Saudi leadership: "We can hurt you if you insist on harming us. You are not unbreakable".
Mohammed is not worried about a renewed war with Saudi Arabia. "We confronted America, Israel and, before them, the Saudi-led coalition. Now, the kingdom can try its luck in this new round," he said.
A full closure of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea, could hamper Saudi oil exports to Asia, particularly in light of the continued difficulty of passage through the Strait of Hormuz due to the US war on Iran.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it would respond to the Houthi threat to its commercial ships with resolve. "Such threats are a blatant violation of international law and fall under acts of maritime piracy," the coalition said in a statement on Tuesday.
Despite the Houthi justification, many Yemenis opposed to the rebels see their latest attacks as evidence of their subservience to Iran. Mohammed Karim, a 30-year-old resident of Hodeidah in western Yemen, describes the Houthi blockade on Saudi Arabia as an "act of obedience to Iran" that has nothing to do with defending Yemen's sovereignty.
"Why have the Houthis not imposed a blockade on Saudi Arabia over the past years of war? Why now," Mohammed asked. "Iran needs such a move now, and the Houthis have carried it out."
Key points
- The Houthi military spokesperson announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.
- The blockade has been met with mixed reactions, with some Yemenis fearing a renewed war and others seeing it as a step towards ending Saudi hegemony in Yemen.
- The blockade could lead to a worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, with more people being displaced or forced to flee their homes.
- The blockade could also lead to a decrease in the availability of food and other essential supplies, making it harder for people to survive.
If the Houthi blockade on Saudi Arabia is successful, it could lead to a decrease in the number of people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Additionally, it could also lead to a decrease in the number of people who are displaced or forced to flee their homes.
The Houthi blockade on Saudi Arabia could lead to a worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, with more people being displaced or forced to flee their homes. It could also lead to a decrease in the availability of food and other essential supplies, making it harder for people to survive.
