Barran Press
A medical source at Marib General Authority Hospital reported on Thursday, May 30, 2024, the arrival of a Yemeni pilgrim from areas under the internationally designated terrorist group, the Houthi movement, in a "poor" health condition. The deteriorating state of the pilgrim's health was a result of the hardships endured on alternative routes, as the Houthi group continued to block main roads.
The source, who preferred to remain anonymous due to lack of authorization to speak to the media, revealed that the pilgrim, named "Taha Hussein Ali Omar," arrived from the capital, Sana'a, in a "poor" health condition at the medical point called "Tadawin" This medical point was established by local authorities to serve pilgrims coming from Houthi-controlled areas.
The source further disclosed that after providing initial medical assistance at the medical point, the pilgrim was transferred to the General Hospital in Marib, located in northeastern Yemen.
A close source to Hajj "Taha" confirmed to "Barran Press" that he had suffered a fracture in the ninth vertebra of his spine, emphasizing that his health condition was extremely critical and he might be transferred to Sayoun or Saudi Arabia for treatment.
On May 23, 2024, local authorities in Marib Governorate inaugurated a medical point to serve pilgrims coming from Houthi-controlled areas, which are internationally classified as terrorist entities. This initiative was launched after the Houthi group rejected the proposal to open roads to facilitate the passage of travelers.
The source explained that the pilgrims on the same journey left the city of Hazm (the capital of Al-Jawf Governorate) at 8:30 am and arrived at the medical point in Tadawin at 5:00 pm on Wednesday.
He pointed out that travelers taking the desert road take about eight hours to reach Marib, while the distance from Hazm to the medical point only takes twenty minutes.
On February 22, a member of the Presidential Council, Major General Sultan Al-Aradah, announced the opening of the road between Marib and Sana'a via "Nahm Front," unilaterally calling on the other party (the Houthis) to take a similar step and separate the issue of roads from political matters.
Al-Aradah stated during the announcement of his initiative, which was a response to widespread popular demands for all parties involved in the Yemeni conflict to open roads and alleviate the suffering of citizens, "From our side, we do not see any harm resulting from the crossing of citizens on these roads."
The political and military leadership expressed readiness to open other roads (Marib-Al-Bayda-Sana'a) and (Marib-Sirwah-Sana'a) unilaterally, hoping for the other party (the Houthis) to respond to this initiative, which primarily aims to alleviate the suffering of citizens and facilitate their travel and movement.
The step taken by Major General Sultan Al-Aradah received significant official and popular acclaim. Still, the Houthi group disavowed responsibility by inventing additional conditions, evading the initiative, and instead announced the opening of secondary roads in Taiz Governorate, which has been under siege for nine years.