Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
The local authority in Marib Governorate (eastern Yemen) confirmed on Saturday that all roads from the side of the local authority have been opened since February 22, following the opening of “Marib – Fardht Nihm – Sana’a” road by the member of the Presidential Leadership Council, the Governor of Marib, and his directives to open all other roads, to alleviate the suffering of citizens.
The official Yemeni news agency, Saba, quoted a source in the local authority in Marib as saying: “We saw on social media yesterday, Friday, that some local mediators were talking about opening the road of Marib-Al Bayda.”
The source expressed “surprise” at the Houthis’ delay in responding to the road-opening initiative for all this time, despite its importance as an urgent priority for travelers and people’s lives.”
The source stressed “the importance of the Houthi leadership, which has the actual decision-making power, to announce the opening of the road officially and clearly and to bear their responsibilities, which would oblige their groups to stop firing on the road and prove their seriousness in this regard.”
The local authority in Marib Governorate reiterated its affirmation of the opening of all roads as an inherent right of Yemeni citizens in all governorates.
The Houthis had announced yesterday, Friday, the opening of the “Marib – Al Bayda Road” passing through the Al Jawbah area, in a move described as circumventing the demands of citizens after their refusal to open “Marib – Sana’a” road and “Ta’iz – Aden” road.
On February 22, the member of the Presidential Leadership Council, the Governor of Marib, Major General Sultan Al-Arada, along with the Chief of the General Staff, Major General Sagheer Bin Aziz, moved to a number of sites and the asphalt road linking Marib with Sana’a, and announced from there the opening of the road linking Marib and Sana’a, through Fardht Nihm, from one side, calling on “the other party to take a similar step to facilitate the movement of citizens.”
Al-Arada said: “In consultation with the political and military leadership, a security checkpoint was established today on the road linking (Marib-Sana’a) through Al Fardh, hoping that the other party will take a similar step to facilitate the movement of citizens,” . Al-Arada stressed the importance of opening all roads in all cities, including roads leading to the city of Ta’iz.
The Houthi group has relied on prevarication again, as it announced a different initiative to open another road passing from Marib to Sana’a through Sarwah, which is an unsuitable road and far in terms of distance, paying no attention to the suffering of citizens, and conditioned the release of prisoners.
The same thing happened in Ta’izz, as the Governor of Ta’izz, Nabil Shamsan, along with the head of the presidential committee to open the roads, launched an initiative to open the main Sana’a-Ta’iz road, through Aqabat (Manif-Al Hawban), from one side, and called on the Houthis to open the road from their side. Instead, and in a roundabout move, the Houthis announced that they had opened a number of other roads.
