Yemen Monitor / Aden / Agencies:
Yemeni Oil Minister Saeed Al-Shamsi said on Thursday that his government is keen on ensuring the availability of petroleum products and household gas for all citizens, including those in Houthi-controlled areas.
This came during a meeting between Minister Al-Shamsi in the temporary Yemeni capital, Aden (south of the country), with the head of the political affairs section at the UN envoy’s office to Yemen, Roxana Bazargan, and economic advisor Dirk Jan, according to the Yemeni News Agency (SABA).
This announcement comes as the US has imposed a ban on importing oil through the Hodeidah port in western Yemen, which is under Houthi control, following its designation of the group as a terrorist organization.
Al-Shamsi reaffirmed his ministry’s readiness to fulfill its duty of securing fuel and gas supplies for all governorates, whether in liberated areas or those under Houthi control.
He stressed the need to support efforts to resume crude oil exports, which have been halted since the Houthis targeted export ports in the Hadhramaut and Shabwa governorates, causing significant damage to the Yemeni economy.
The minister added that the Houthi group “imports low-quality petroleum products and household gas, selling them to citizens at high prices to finance its military operations, with no regard for the burdens borne by the people or the economic hardships they face.”
He also pointed out that the Houthis’ use of the Hodeidah port for military purposes poses a threat to the security, safety, and freedom of navigation in both regional and international waters and undermines the peace efforts led by the United Nations in coordination with regional and international stakeholders.
