The Yemeni government announces the opening of the road to Sanaa, which has been closed for 9 years (Al Jazeera)

On Saturday, the Houthi group called on the Yemeni government to sign a charter prohibiting the detention of transients at military points, in preparation for opening the Sanaa-Ma’rib road, which has been closed for about 9 years.

A member of the group’s Supreme Political Council, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, said in his account on the No one passing through the points will be arrested.”

Al-Houthi demanded that no citizen of Marib who goes to the city of Marib, which is under government authority, be arrested.

Al-Houthi did not mention the number of these detainees, while there was no immediate comment from the Yemeni government, which had previously repeatedly accused the group of detaining many citizens and activists on the roads.

The Houthi position comes as a comment on the Yemeni government’s announcement, on Thursday, of opening the Marib-Sanaa road, for its part, calling on the Houthis to take similar action.

The road connects the Ma'rib Governorate (central), which is under government control, and the capital, Sana'a (north), which is under the control of the Houthi group, but it has remained cut off since the start of the war in the country in March 2015.

Al-Houthi demanded that no citizen of Marib who goes to the city of Marib, which is under government authority, be arrested (Al-Jazeera)

Opening roads

Activists and politicians in Yemen recently launched a massive campaign on social media in which they appealed to the Ansar Allah Houthi group and the internationally recognized Yemeni government to open roads between Yemeni cities and governorates that have been cut off since the years of war.

Tens of thousands of Yemeni travelers suffer from great dangers on non-main roads, and hundreds were killed during their movement and travel on side and unpaved roads, especially on the mountain roads leading from Sanaa to Taiz and Aden and vice versa, and from Sanaa via the desert road to Al-Jawf, Ma’rib, and the Saudi border.

Citizens also face the risk of death due to car and bus collisions, their breakdown, and being cut off from the world due to the absence of Internet service while entering and driving on desert roads.

In late December 2023, the United Nations announced the commitment of the Yemeni government and the Houthi group to a set of measures for a comprehensive ceasefire throughout the country and improving the living conditions of citizens.

For about two years, Yemen has witnessed a lull in the war that began about 9 years ago between the forces loyal to the legitimate government and the Houthi forces, who have controlled governorates and cities, including Sanaa, since September 2014.

Source: Anadolu Agency