Houthis refuse entry of oil derivatives to Hudaydah

Yemen’s Houthis yesterday rejected government attempts to allow the entry of oil derivatives to the port of Hudaydah, the Shebab news website reported.

In a statement, the Houthis said that all oil ships “must” enter the port without obstacles or preconditions.

On Sunday, the Foreign Ministry announced an initiative to allow oil ships to enter the port on condition that their revenues are deposited in a new bank account which is not controlled by the Houthis.

The initiative stipulated that the UN controls the revenues and guarantees their distribution based on mechanisms agreed by the government and the Houthis.

According to the Foreign Ministry, all revenues of oil and the revenues withdrawn by the Houthis from the central bank are to be used to pay the salaries of Yemeni employees across the country based on 2014 records.

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The Yemeni government accused the Houthis of breaching a previous agreement reached with the UN and withdrawing 40 billion riyals ($60 million) from the oil revenues deposited in the branch of the central bank in Hudaydah.

On Sunday, the UN expressed it worries over “the massive shortage” of fuel from which several areas controlled by the Houthis are suffering.

UN Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths called for all sides to urgently coordinate with his office to guarantee receiving their basic needs of fuel and oil derivatives, as well as using oil revenues to pay for the public servants’ salaries.

A Saudi Arabia-led coalition, which backs the Yemen government, has been imposing a tight blockade on shipments to Hudaydah since the port fell into the hands of the Houthis. The kingdom says this is an effort to stop weapons shipments to the group, however the Houthis deny this and say Riyadh’s move is starving the local population.