Houthi militia imposes nine-year backdated levies on West Coast merchants

The Houthi militia has implemented a new financial collection mechanism targeting merchants in Yemen’s West Coast regions. Under the guise of ‘Zakat,’ the group is demanding payments covering the past nine years, dating back to 2017, while also requiring merchants to pay for two years in advance.

To facilitate these collections, the militia is coordinating with local district leaders to gather detailed financial data on businesses. Merchants are being categorized into three tiers—“strong,” “medium,” and “weak”—to determine the amount of cash or in-kind dues required. In areas like Al-Mukha, the group’s Zakat Authority has reportedly issued notices for backdated payments even for periods when the city was not under Houthi control.

In the Hays District of Al-Hudaydah, new offices belonging to the Zakat Authority have been opened, coinciding with reports of fees being imposed on farmers, shopkeepers, and merchants. Beyond Zakat, other levies are being collected under labels such as supporting the ‘war effort.’ These measures have raised significant concerns regarding increased economic pressure on the commercial sector and the use of financial data to monitor the population’s socio-economic distribution.