Yemen Monitor/Ma’rib:
Member of the Presidential Leadership Council, Marib governor Sultan al-Arada, announced on Thursday the unilateral opening of the main road linking Marib province with the capital Sanaa.
The correspondent of “Yemen monitor” said that “Major General Al-Arada, together with the chief of staff of the Yemeni army, Saghir Bin Aziz, launched the opening of the road linking Marib and Sana’a through “Fardat Nehm” unilaterally as well as the establishment of a security checkpoint.
The Yemeni legitimate authorities expressed their hope that the other side (referring to the Houthis) will take a similar step to facilitate the movement of citizens.
With this step, the legitimate Yemeni authorities have abdicated their responsibility and put the ball in the Houthis’ court, who are promoting through their media that they are not the main reason for cutting off the main roads to citizens.
A member of the presidential Council, the governor of Marib, Major General Sultan al – Arada, has expressed during the past years his readiness to open “Marib Sana’a” road, as well as“Marib al-Bayda” road, with the hope that the invitation of opening the main roads from their side will be accepted by the Houthi authorities, which was unfortunately rejected, until the announcement of al-Arada today to open “Marib-Sana’a”road.
Marib-Sana’a road, which is 175 km (108) miles long, starting from Marib governorate and then heading north through Al-Jawf governorate to end in Sana’a governorate, witnessed many battles, clashes, shelling and destruction, which led to its closure, disruption or diversion of its users to unsafe alternative routes.
After the Houthis control of Al-Jawf governorate in 2015, the road changed to a battle front line, which negatively affected the lives of civilians and increase their suffering by resorting to a desert road that caused the death of many Yemeni travelers, including an entire family, over the years.
The Houthis are also closing the main roads connecting Aden to Taiz, as well as those connecting Taiz to Sana’a, Al-Dhale to Aden and Al-Bayda to Yafe’e, forcing civilians to resort to dangerous mountain roads, which have caused hundreds of deaths over the past years, including women, children and the elderly.
