Sanaa (South24)

On Monday, the Houthi militia denied any agreement with the Yemeni government to resume oil exports, which have been halted since October 2022 due to Houthi drone attacks on oil ports in South Yemen.

An official source in the "Supreme Economic Committee" told the Houthi-run Saba news agency that "there is no agreement regarding the resumption of oil exports, and what is being circulated in this regard is just a rumor."

The source emphasized that resuming oil exports would be contingent on meeting the Houthis' conditions, including the payment of salaries to fighters and employees in areas under their control.

The Houthis renewed their warning to local and foreign oil companies against engaging in any attempt to export oil, threatening that they would be met with a "harsh military response."

The Houthi statement coincided with the already two-day-long visit of the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, to the oil-rich Hadramout Governorate.

During a meeting with local authorities in Hadramout in the city of Mukalla today, Al-Alimi referenced the Houthi attacks on the Al-Dabbah oil port in Ash Shihr district in October and November 2022, and on the Al-Nashima port in Shabwa.

He said that these attacks caused the suspension of oil and gas exports, which account for 70% of the state’s public revenues, as reported by the official Saba news agency.

Al-Alimi's visit, which began on Saturday, has sparked controversy and speculation in Hadramout and the South, amid rejection by the Hadramout General Conference, a major tribal entity, about its connection to efforts to resume oil exports.

In a related development, an informed source told South24 Center today that the Houthi militia officially informed the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of the closure of its office in Sanaa.

The Houthis reportedly gave the commission's employees three days to leave Sanaa. The group had previously detained eight commission employees, according to the source, and has not yet released them. 

The Houthis have not yet officially commented on this information, nor has the Human Rights Commission.