Yemeni teachers under Houthi fire

The Houthi militia’s actions in Yemen have triggered strikes by teachers in Houthi-controlled areas, who are demanding their rightfully-earned salaries. 

In response, the militia has resorted to kidnappings and intimidation, further escalating the situation. Disturbingly, the Houthis have also been replacing striking teachers with their own sectarian members, exacerbating the crisis.

The teachers’ strike has garnered support from Yemeni activists and journalists, who are urging the Houthis to compensate the teachers and bolster security. The international community watches as Yemen’s teachers, pillars of the nation’s future, are trapped in a precarious situation, their grievances awaiting redress.

The Houthi militia has been subjecting teachers to a horrifying series of incidents, including abductions and torture. Recently, the president of the Teachers Club in Sanaa, Abu Zaid Al-Kamim, was forcibly taken by the militia to an undisclosed location, marking another unsettling chapter in the ongoing plight of educators in the region.

This disturbing incident is part of a broader, harrowing narrative that has seen teachers suffer under the rule of the Houthi militia. The deplorable case of Muhammad Abdullah Mohsin Salaba, a teacher tortured to death after his abduction from Hajjah Governorate, serves as a chilling reminder of the Houthi militia’s brutality. Reports indicate that the militia dismembered parts of Salaba’s body, leaving him to bleed to death.

This is one of the countless human rights violations committed by the Houthi militia and Saleh group in Yemen, as documented by the Yemeni Coalition to Monitor Human Rights Violations. These atrocities encompass a wide array of crimes, including the killing and injuring of civilians, sieges of public and private facilities, and the burning of vehicles.

Apart from physical violence, the Houthi militia has been accused of inflicting economic pain on teachers and other public employees by withholding their salaries. This has plunged many into a state of severe hardship and suffering. Despite amassing billions of Yemeni riyals from state entities and other sources, the Houthis have staunchly refused to pay public employees’ salaries, instead diverting these funds towards religious events.

The Yemeni government estimates that since the UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022, the Houthis have accumulated 4.62 trillion Yemeni riyals, a sum more than sufficient to pay the salaries of public employees. The militia’s refusal to do so has sparked widespread outrage and unrest.