Pilgrims of Yemen to the Sacred House .. No longer a way

Al Jazeera Net - Special

The 50-year-old Yemeni woman, Fatima Obeid, wishes to visit Baitullah Al-Haram.Hajj is almost impossible for her and her citizens in light of the restrictions imposed by the war since 2015, and the closure of the Saudi-UAE alliance of airports and land ports.

Despite the optimism that the situation is easing, it is becoming increasingly complex, and with it Fatima's chance to catch up with the convoy of pilgrims en route to the Holy Bekaa, the money she saved a long time ago was not enough to reserve two seats for her and her son.

It tells Al Jazeera Net that it sought this year to collect the amount of pilgrimage despite the large cost, and this time was closer than ever to achieve its awaited wish, but the lack of money and restrictions imposed on pilgrims prevented it.

Great cost

The cost of the pilgrimage to Yemenis is about 8,000 Saudi riyals ($ 2,200) per pilgrim, without the amount paid for other services, a large amount compared to the "bad" service provided to them during their stay and movement between the holy sites.

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj has obliged pilgrims' agencies to deduct an estimated $ 3,000 on each pilgrim to ensure his return to Yemen after the completion of the holy duty in Mecca.

This amount was a major obstacle for thousands of Yemenis, and the pilgrimage is only granted to the wealthy, while Fatima and thousands who live like her in the war-torn country no longer have access to Hajj.

The collapse of the local currency (the Yemeni rial) to foreign exchange has also caused one of the reasons for the lack of hope for Yemeni pilgrimage. According to Fatima, the amounts you saved were less valuable over the years, as the value of the Saudi riyal reached 150 Yemeni riyals.

Maher Saleh, her son who was due to join her on the pilgrimage, explains that the cost of the pilgrimage was 700,000 Yemeni rials. Today, this amount is no longer sufficient but needs a similar amount to equal the amount of $ 2200 due to the collapse of the currency.

The mother interrupts her as if she does not care about the details that have obstructed her last wish. "I want to leave the world and I have fulfilled my desire to make pilgrimages to the house of Allah," he said.

Closed crossings

Earlier, the Ministry of Awqaf, the Yemeni government announced the completion of the operations of the circulation of pilgrims, numbering about 25 thousand through the outlet of the deposit, the only land artery operating between the two countries since 2015.

She pointed out that the process of redemption took place within ten days and without any disruption or little confusion.

But pilgrims said the pilgrimage lasted for more than four days, and that they stayed for days in the outlet of the deposit under the heat of summer sun until they are allowed to enter Saudi territory, as a result of congestion at the crossing.

According to one of the pilgrims who preferred to remain anonymous, officials on the Saudi side deliberately insulted the Yemeni pilgrims, as the transit transactions are going through a high mood and slowness, without indifference to thousands of travelers who are desert.

`` We cannot talk or object, we are helpless at their mercy, and because without a state that cares for us and preserves our dignity, they are bent everywhere by detracting Yemenis and believe that we want to stay in Saudi Arabia, even though most of the pilgrims are older, '' he told Al Jazeera Net.

In the last pilgrimage season, the Saudi authorities detained Yemeni journalist Salah al-Din al-Asadi at the request of the Yemeni Ministry of Awqaf, after he published cases of corruption and illegal fees taken from Yemeni pilgrims.

Travel tired

Yemeni pilgrims are demanding their release through the airport as dozens of them are elderly and cannot afford long travel to Mecca, because the Ministry of Hajj transports them by land on 550 buses.

Abu Ahmed, who was flown out of the capital Sanaa, says the hardship of the Hajj has become enormous. They have to travel through mountains, deserts and dozens of armed points set up by Houthi militants and government forces along the seam lines.

"Why are they preventing us from traveling by air, reopening Sana'a International Airport, and cutting travel beyond 1,500 kilometers? The plane will eventually arrive in Mecca and there they have the right to inspect them if they are afraid of smuggling weapons or so."

He pointed out that his wife was not able to travel with him to perform Hajj because she did not get the passport, in light of the stopping the Yemeni and Saudi authorities to deal with passports issued from areas controlled by the Houthis.

The Department of Immigration and Passports announced the absence of passport books for the past six months, before it was announced last month.

Mutual charges

Every pilgrimage season, the legitimate government and the Houthi militia trade accusations about causing pilgrims suffering and preventing thousands of them from performing the holy duty.

The government, in the words of Human Rights Minister Mohammed Askar, in previous statements, accused the Houthis of depriving pilgrims from traveling to Mecca, and said that the group's guns prohibit the travel of any citizen with a passport issued by the government.

On Sunday, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said the Saudi regime was exploiting the haj pilgrimage politically and placed significant restrictions on Yemenis and others, saying he had to review his accounts in managing the haj.

"Whenever the Saudi regime introduces sacred feelings in its positions and calculations, it proves that it is not worthy to manage," Houthi said in a televised speech.