Yemen Monitor/News Room
On Friday, the Houthi armed group announced the opening of two main roads in the city of Taiz (southwest Yemen), which they have besieged for nine years.
The armed group said that “it has opened the main road today, Friday, ‘Al-Hoban – Qasr al-Shaab – Al-Kemp’, and allocated it for travelers and light vehicles.”
It also announced the opening of “Al-Sitteen – Al-Khamsin – Madinat Al-Noor – Bir Basha” road and allocated it for medium and heavy transport trucks.
The Houthis’ move came months after the Yemeni government announced the opening of all main roads that had been closed on its side.
For his part, the spokesman for the Yemeni army in Taiz, Abdul Basset Al-Baher, said that all roads are open without restriction by the local authorities in the province.
The army spokesman considered “what the Houthis are doing is just a propaganda act and is not practical and has no relation to reality on the ground.”
He added in press statements, “There are 20 snipers belonging to the Houthis in the buildings overlooking the sides of the road that they announced the opening today.”
In May, Taiz Governor, Nabil Shamsan, with the head of the presidential committee for opening roads, announced an initiative to open the main Sana’a-Taiz road, via (Aqabat Manif-Al-Hoban)’ crossing, from one side, and called on the Houthis to open the road from their side; Instead, in a roundabout move, the Houthis announced that they had opened a number of other roads.
