Barran Press
The Houthis, designated as a terrorist group by several countries, stormed the Sana'a residence of Yemen's Central Bank Governor, Ahmed Ghaleb Al-Maabqi, on Saturday, July 6, 2024, according to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba).
The agency reported that the Houthis, using multiple military vehicles, forcibly entered the governor's home, causing fear among residents and neighbors, who were subsequently evicted.
Local sources previously informed "Barran Press" that the residents of the house received threats in late June regarding eviction and confiscation. Slogans were painted on the house wall stating, "The house is reserved by the court."
This action by the Houthis is seen as a response to recent decisions made by the Central Bank Governor in Aden, the temporary capital of Yemen, which have effectively pushed the group back on the defensive. These decisions come after years of the Houthis waging an economic war, which was met with government appeasement, ultimately impacting all aspects of life in all Yemeni governorates.
The Central Bank has continued to tighten its financial grip on the Houthis, revoking licenses of 15 exchange companies last week and ordering the indefinite closure of their branches for violating bank regulations.
These decisions follow two previous measures: the implementation of a unified domestic remittance network and the prohibition of transactions with 12 unauthorized electronic payment entities. The use of local financial remittance networks owned by banks, financial institutions, or exchange companies operating in Yemen was also permanently halted.
On May 30, the Central Bank in Aden issued a decision to cease transactions with six Yemeni banks and financial institutions after a 60-day deadline for relocating their headquarters to Aden expired.
Another decision called on all individuals, businesses, companies, other entities, and financial and banking institutions holding pre-2016 banknotes of various denominations to deposit them within a maximum of 60 days from the date of the announcement.