Yemen soldiers protest over unpaid wages 

Dozens of soldiers in Yemen staged a protest against unpaid wages yesterday outside the military command headquarters in the city of Taiz.

According to Débriefer, the pro-government forces set up tents at the main entrance of the compound and demanded the payment of their wages, which have reportedly not been paid for several months. They also asked for an improvement in living conditions, particularly relating to nutrition while stationed on the front lines against the Houthi-supported armed forces.

On Saturday, hundreds of local residents in the city also held a rally denouncing rampant corruption and the deteriorating security situation in the south-western province. Some of those present held banners denouncing government institutions headed by the Islah Party.

READ: Houthis launch rare attack on Yemen’s tense southern region

Last week the Yemen Press Agency reported that at least four soldiers and two children were wounded following infighting between two military brigades of the Saudi-backed coalition forces.

Taiz is Yemen’s third-largest city. It remains under the control of the Islah Party, loyal to the internationally-recognised government of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, and has been besieged by the Houthi-aligned army since early 2015.

Yemeni Information Minister Muammar Al-Eyrani said last month that the siege on the city has left four million people in unprecedented misery. He described the siege as “a war crime”.

In turn, the Houthi movement has blamed the Saudi-led coalition for the country’s worsening humanitarian crisis due to the ongoing blockade of Hudaydah port and Sana’a airport.

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