Barran Press
On Saturday, June 8th, 2024, the local authorities in Taiz Governorate, southwestern Yemen, began clearing debris, removing obstacles, and paving the "Al-Kamb" road east of the city. This road has been blocked by the Houthi group, internationally designated as a terrorist organization for nine consecutive years.
The Taiz authorities stated that the road paving project aims to "receive citizens coming from the Huban area, which is under the control of the Houthi group," according to the official Yemeni news agency Saba.
Deputy Governor Abdul Qawi al-Makhlafi, quoted by Saba, said the local authorities, under the instructions of Governor Nabil Shamsan, "have begun taking steps on the ground to remove all obstacles, debris, fortifications, and trees, and to pave the road in preparation for receiving citizens coming from Huban."
Al-Makhlafi expressed the authorities' readiness to receive citizens and complete coordination procedures with the presence of the head and members of the negotiation committee to facilitate the passage of citizens with ease.
He added that "bulldozers have been working since morning with representatives from the sanitation, public works, and traffic departments," emphasizing that the work continues until the road is fully paved. He expressed hope that "the other side will be serious about opening the road in response to alleviating the suffering of the citizens."
On Friday, June 7th, Nabil Jamal, a member of the government negotiating committee for opening roads in Taiz Governorate, confirmed that the road announced by the Houthis is "a priority for the people of Taiz, and it is already open from the side of the legitimate authorities in the city of Taiz."
In a statement to "Barran Press," Jamal said that the negotiation committee had included the road mentioned by the Houthis "among the roads they demanded be opened in all previous rounds of negotiations," expressing hope that "the group will be truthful this time." He added, "If they are not truthful, it will be another experience of lies and deception added to their record."
Jamal pointed out that the group "refused to open this road (the Al-Kamb roundabout) or discuss it" in all previous rounds of negotiations, and "would go for distant roads." He explained that after the Houthis announced the opening of the road, they expressed their willingness and agreement.
The member of the government negotiating committee for opening roads in Taiz downplayed "the Houthis' seriousness in opening the roads," saying that "their lies in this file come at the expense of the siege and suffering of thousands of the people of Taiz."
He stated, "This might be the tenth lie from the Houthi group, as they previously lied in the 2016 agreement, then in the Stockholm agreement, of which they did not implement any of its provisions. They also lied in April 2022 in the truce agreement and the opening of Sana'a airport and Hodeidah port. When they came to Taiz roads, they refused to open them."
Earlier on Friday, the Houthi group, listed as a terrorist organization, announced the opening of the "Al-Qasr Roundabout" road east of the city of Taiz. Social media activists circulated videos and photos of machinery and equipment removing earthen barriers in the Al-Qasr roundabout area east of Taiz.
The Houthis' sudden announcement was met with widespread ridicule from social media activists, who pointed to their lack of seriousness in opening roads, as they are the ones besieging the city, and these roads are fraught with the dangers of mines and snipers.