ST.PETERSBURG (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2022) The Yemeni government has denounced the Houthi rebels for obstructing the entry of ships with oil derivatives into the port of Al-Hudaydah located in the Red Sea in an attempt to create a fuel crisis in the country, according to a statement that became available to Sputnik on Monday.
"Since 10 August 2022, the Houthi militias have been forcing companies and traders of oil derivatives to violate the established laws and mechanisms put in place to regulate the import of oil derivatives through the ports of Hudaydah and have been in effect since the announcement of the truce on 02 April 2022. This led to obstructing the entry of oil derivatives' ships on a regular basis and created a manufactured fuel crisis," the statement read.
The Yemeni government said it had informed Hans Grundberg, the special envoy of the UN secretary-general for Yemen, and countries sponsoring the intra-Yemeni political process of the "militias' attempt to bypass the established mechanism in an effort to facilitate the import of smuggled oil and prohibited materials, and to enable the private companies affiliated with Houthi leaders to directly import fuel, as well as to revitalize the black market from which the Houthis profit substantially."
"The Houthi militias are seeking to manufacture an artificial fuel crisis with the aim of pumping the stored quantities of oil derivatives that were imported during the truce, into the black market with the aim of profiteering and doubling its profits," the statement added.
According to the Yemeni authorities, the Houthi militias are seeking to create a fuel crisis to deprive citizens of oil derivatives despite the fact that they are collecting all the revenues from Al-Hudaydah ports, including taxes, customs fees and other revenues.�
During the truce, 35 fuel ships offloaded its cargo in the Al-Hudayday port, according to the statement.
In this regard, the Yemeni government declared the Houthi militias responsible for any crisis resulting from the shortage or price hikes of oil derivatives and affirmed to the Yemeni people and the international community its commitment to the terms of the truce concluded with the rebels.
Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces and the Houthi rebels since 2014. The situation was exacerbated in March 2015, when the Saudi-led Arab alliance, working in cooperation with the internationally-recognized Yemeni government, began conducting air, land and sea operations against the Houthis. The latter have retaliated by attacking Saudi forces and firing missiles into Saudi Arabia.
In April 2022, a two-month ceasefire was declared under the auspices of the United Nations and support of all parties to the conflict. In early August, the warring sides agreed to extend the truce by another two months to negotiate an expanded truce agreement.
