Houthi group allocates millions for fighters' families amid salary crisis

The Houthi group has announced the allocation of approximately 9.34 million USD (over 5.4 billion Yemeni riyals) to support the families of its fallen, wounded, and missing members. This spending was part of a program launched under the title “Martyr Week” to provide food baskets, cash assistance, medical care, and economic empowerment projects.

According to Saleh Hamza, deputy head of the General Authority for the Care of the Families of the Group’s Dead, these funds are part of an ongoing effort to provide periodic care and economic support specifically for those affiliated with the group. This follows similar large-scale expenditures of billions of riyals conducted over the past year.

The allocation has drawn criticism from residents in Houthi-controlled areas, such as Sanaa, where public sector employees have gone years without regular salaries. Critics and local officials allege that the group is utilizing state resources and revenues from the Zakat and Endowments authorities to bolster military loyalty and political mobilization rather than addressing the broader humanitarian crisis and the needs of millions of Yemeni citizens facing poverty and hunger.