Daqauna: Hodeidah Village Under Siege as Houthi Campaign Expels Residents and Pillages Lands with Judicial Support

[Hodeidah Province, Yemen] - Residents of Daqauna village, situated in the Bajil district of Hodeidah province in western Yemen, have come forward accusing a powerful faction within the internationally designated terrorist organization, the Houthi movement, of launching a massive campaign to forcibly displace villagers and seize their lands.

According to testimonies gathered by Barran Press, influential figures within the Houthi movement have initiated a comprehensive and relentless campaign to pressure the village's population into leaving, with the ultimate objective of encroaching upon their valuable lands. The villagers assert that Houthi forces have been relentlessly exerting pressure on them since the beginning of the week, persistently attempting to evict them from their ancestral homes.

Disturbingly, the villagers have also revealed that individuals associated with the internationally designated terrorist group have abducted over 15 citizens, including four children. Shocking photographs obtained by Barran Press depict children and elderly individuals imprisoned in one of the group's facilities in Bajil.

Bassim Al-Janani, an activist and a native of Hodeidah, took to the "X" platform, as monitored by Barran Press, to shed light on the situation. Al-Janani exposed the long-standing efforts of influential Houthi leaders, led by Mohammed Al-Siyani, who have been attempting for years to displace the villagers and subject them to incessant pressure and harassment, all in an attempt to force them out of their homes and abandon their agricultural lands.

Al-Janani further accused Taha Al-Arjali, a judge aligned with the internationally designated Houthi group, of colluding with the leaders of the group to seize the villagers' lands. Al-Arjali is alleged to have issued a judicial order to displace the residents, further perpetuating the injustice faced by the villagers.

Moreover, it has been revealed that the Houthi group has forcefully conscripted a significant portion of the village's inhabitants by abducting and imprisoning them. Some individuals were given the ultimatum of either engaging in frontline combat or leaving the village altogether. Consequently, only women remain in the village, courageously facing the oppressive security forces.

Social media activists have shared video clips showcasing the bravery of women and children confronting the armed Houthi campaign, spearheaded by Al-Siyani, as they make a resolute stand against the coerced eviction of their community.

This coordinated policy of forced displacement and land seizure is part of a systematic campaign against the people of Tihama, as condemned by Yemen's internationally recognized Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Moammar al-Eryani. Al-Eryani described the Houthi militia's recent actions as an extension of their ongoing atrocities and violations, including forced displacement, looting, and plundering, which began with their coup against the state.

In a post on the "X" platform, as reported by Barran Press, al-Eryani stated that the Houthi group had previously seized lands and farms forcefully in various districts, including Al-Murawwah, Al-Luhaia, Bajil, Wadi Suham, Barah, Zabid, Al-Tuhaytat, Al-Zaydia, Al-Maghlaf, Al-Jarrahi, Al-Mahabi, Al-Qa'abil, and Al-Ghawani in the district of Beit al-Faqih, as well as in several villages in the isolation of Al-Qaserah and the Al-Jarubah region.

Expressing regret at the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement's (UNMHA) inaction, the minister highlighted the organization's passive role as mere spectators to the Houthi militia's daily crimes against the people of Tihama. Al-Eryani emphasized that the Houthi group has exploited the Stockholm Agreement, failing to adhere to its provisions and using it to solidify their control, expand their criminal activities, and transform seized lands and farms into private investments and military sites that pose a threat to global trade and international navigation.

The minister urgently called upon the international community, the United Nations, the UN envoy, and the UNMHA mission to take a clear and decisive stance against these heinous crimes, demanding immediate action to protect the innocent residents of Daqauna village and the people of Tihama who continue to suffer under the oppressive grip of the Houthi militia.