Yemen Monitor/News Room
A popular initiative has succeeded in opening the international line linking Al-Bayda Governorate with Marib in the east of the country, after years of Houthi closure of the important line that connected Yemeni expatriates in Saudi Arabia with many northern governorates of the country.
Local sources said that the campaign succeeded in passing the last Houthi checkpoint in the Al-Jawbah area south of Marib, after the initiative faltered for more than three days due to the Houthis’ refusal to allow them to cross.
Participants in the campaign said that they are now on the doorstep of the first security checkpoint affiliated with the local authorities in Marib Governorate, where it is expected that they will enter the center of Marib City immediately after completing the reception process for the local delegation that raises the white flag.
The details of the initiative go back to the announcement by the Yemeni activist, driver of a heavy truck shipment “Omar Ahmed Al-Da’ea”, a few days ago, about an initiative to cross Al-Bayda Marib road, and expressed his readiness to cross the line, calling on people to rally around him and support him in his initiative.
In mid-October 2021, the Houthi group announced the cutting off of the Marib-Al-Bayda road, which is one of the most important main roads linking the Yemeni governorates, after bloody attacks it launched in an attempt to control the oil- and gas-rich governorate.
It is noteworthy that the initiative comes months after the announcement of a member of the Presidential Leadership Council in Yemen, Governor of Marib, Major General Sultan Al-Arada, in February of last year, to open all roads linking Marib with other governorates. However, the Houthi group rejected these initiatives and resorted to opening unpaved and impassable roads.
On February 22, a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, Governor of Marib, Major General Sultan Al-Arada, accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff, Major General Saghir 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 with Sana’a, through Fardhat Nehm, from one side, demanding “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 Fardhat Nehm, hoping that the other party will take a similar step to facilitate the movement of citizens,” and Al-Arada stressed the importance of opening all roads, in all cities, including roads leading to the city of Taiz.
The Houthi group resorted to evading again, as it announced a different initiative to open another road passing from Marib to Sana’a via Serawah, which is an unsuitable road and far in terms of distance, showing of indifference to the suffering of citizens, and stipulated the release of prisoners.
The same thing happened in Taiz, as Taiz governor, Nabil Shamsan, accompanied by the head of the presidential committee to open roads, launched an initiative to open Sana’a-Taiz main road, via (Aqbat Manif-Al-Hoban), from one side, and called on the Houthis to open the road from the side under their control; Instead, in a roundabout move, the Houthis announced that they had opened a number of other roads
