SANAA
Yemen’s capital Sanaa is facing a looming bread shortage after the terrorist Houthi militia shut dozens of bakeries in a campaign to extract illegal payments from owners, targeting even charitable bakeries that feed poor families while forcing others to use low-quality flour.
Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthi-controlled industry and trade authorities had deployed about 12 inspection teams since the middle of last week to raid, shut down and extort money from some 78 bakeries in the Maeen and Al-Wahda districts, citing alleged violations of bread weight regulations.
Bakery owners said the inspections were a pretext to impose more levies and force them to fund the Houthi war effort under threat of closure. Only 25 of the 78 shuttered bakeries have reopened, after their owners were forced to pay.
The rest remain closed and subject to restrictions, fueling fears that the crackdown could spread to other neighborhoods, further disrupting bread production and deepening residents’ hardship.
Although Houthi inspection teams said the campaign was aimed at enforcing weight regulations, they also targeted charitable establishments known as “bakeries for the poor,” demanding zakat payments despite having no authority to collect the Islamic charitable levy. The crackdown on charitable bakeries has deprived hundreds of poor and displaced families of bread they once received free or at discounted prices.
Bakery owners in Sanaa told Asharq Al-Awsat that harassment and extortion had intensified, accusing the Houthis of turning bread production into a source of revenue. The demands include contributions to the war effort under the banner of “supporting the front lines,” as well as funding mobilization and recruitment campaigns. Owners said the mounting costs threatened their ability to stay in business.
