Barran Press
On October 31, 2024, armed members of the Houthi movement, classified as a terrorist organization, stormed the Al-Jabali Eye Hospital in Ibb city, according to statements from Yemen's Minister of Information, Muammar Al-Eryani.
In an official statement published by the Yemeni News Agency Saba, Al-Eryani reported that after breaching the hospital, Houthi militants proceeded to loot its contents. He noted that this incursion followed years of the Houthis appointing what they referred to as a "judicial guardian" over the facility.
Al-Eryani condemned the hospital raid as part of a broader pattern of systematic looting and extortion carried out by the Houthis since their takeover. He highlighted the organized exploitation of the private healthcare sector, which has resulted in the bankruptcy and closure of several private hospitals and driven many investors out of Yemen.
The minister stated, “The private sector has faced ongoing theft, extortion, and harassment from the Houthi group, leading to the collapse of businesses and the flight of national capital abroad. This is part of their scheme to dismantle the private sector and eliminate established commercial houses in favor of their own companies and investors, aiming to control the commercial sector and manipulate the national economy.”
Al-Eryani urged the international community, the United Nations, and its special envoy to take action against the systematic exploitation of economic sectors by the Houthis, pressing for an end to their targeting of the private sector and its transformation into a tool for financing their "terrorist" activities.