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| Arabia |
| Yemenis abandon Ramazan traditions as they struggle to make ends meet |
| 2018-05-17 |
| [DAWN] Marketplaces in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa were stacked with produce on the eve of the holy month of Ramazan, but there were barely any customers with the means to buy. Prices have spiked over the course of Yemen's conflict, which since 2015 has pitted a Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews... rebels and seen the country's largest port reduced to a wasteland under de facto blockade. Millions of Yemenis are living on the edge of famine in what the United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... calls the world's gravest humanitarian disaster. During Ramazan, the breaking of the fast at sunset is a sacred tradition, which usually begins with dates. But in the bustling Sanaa souk, date vendor Ali Saleh said there were few customers stopping by his stall, which was stacked high with the traditional sweet. "Turnover is not very good because of the cut of paying salaries. Also people are not keen in having dates anymore because they focus on the basic needs. People are giving priority to the bare necessities," he told AFP. |
| Posted by:Fred |