Barran Press
On December 9, 2024, a local official reported that Houthi militants, classified internationally as a terrorist organization, have closed the Dalsey factory operated by the local Derham Company in Hodeidah province, western Yemen.
Waleed Al-Qudaimi, the Deputy Governor of Hodeidah, shared on X (formerly Twitter) that armed members of the Houthi militia shut the factory's gates in the Al-Marahwa district, preventing workers and employees from entering.
In response, employees of the factory blocked the main road on the Hodeidah-Sanaa highway as a protest against their exclusion. Al-Qudaimi stated, “These days, the Houthi militia is extorting businessmen for large sums under the pretext of the ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ campaigns held in the districts of the province.”
The Deputy Governor’s post included footage showing dozens of employees gathered outside the Derham factory in Hodeidah, where armed individuals believed to be affiliated with the Houthis were present.
فيديو | الحوثيون يغلقون مصنع "ديلسي" للمشروبات الغازية في مديرية المراوعة بالحديدة#بران_برس #اليمن #yemen pic.twitter.com/dVeIG5gWyr
— بران برس (@brranpress) December 9, 2024
The Derham Company is one of Yemen's largest national industries, specializing in the production of beverages, including juices, soft drinks, and bottled water, and was established in 1980.
In recent years, numerous companies have complained of harassment and systematic targeting by the Houthi group, which has escalated from regular extortion to efforts to undermine the private sector in favor of Houthi-controlled businesses.