Iran-backed Houthis threaten to seize the assets of the owners of mineral water factories

The brother of the leader of the Houthi militia, who was appointed as the Minister of Education in the internationally unrecognized government, Yahya Al-Houthi, threatened to seize and freeze the assets of water, juice, and soft drink factories if they do not pay the additional fees, which have reached 2000% in addition to the 3% customs duties deducted at customs checkpoints on each customs declaration.

Union sources said that this threat came during a committee from the Mineral Water Manufacturers Union and the Chamber of Commerce in Sanaa mediating with the Houthi minister in order to reverse the decision to impose 20 riyals on each carton of water, with claims of supporting education and paying teachers' salaries that are not actually being paid to them.

The Iran-backed Houthis had imposed customs fees of 3 percent on factories, which have been implemented since the beginning of the current year. In addition, there are tax fees that have exceeded 2000 percent, despite the double collection of fees on goods imported through ports located in areas under the control of the Yemeni government. The Sources said.

The factories were forced to stop operating due to the lack of raw materials that were stuck in the port of Hodeidah and newly established customs outlets for more than two months, causing a major crisis in the mineral water in the local market. The Sources noted.

Despite the losses amounting to over $200,000 for each customs clearance factory and fines for container delays in customs and tax clearance at the port of Hodeidah, the Houthis refuse to release shipments of raw materials for the factories.

The militia aims, through its arbitrary and illegal actions and decisions, to completely shut down those factories and inflict massive losses on their owners, forcing them into bankruptcy in favor of new factories owned by Houthi leaders.