Interview: Wissam Basendwah Exposes Houthi Crimes, Urges Global Action to Save Yemen

See - Sada Elbalad

10-08-2025

H-Tayea
In an exclusive interview with Sada El Balad English (SEE), Wissam Basendwah, Chairwoman of the National Coalition of Independent Women in Yemen, delivered a stark warning about the ongoing humanitarian and political catastrophe in her country, holding the Houthi militia directly responsible for the suffering of millions. She urged the international community to take urgent, concrete steps to end the militia's grip on Yemen and restore peace, stability, and human rights.
Basendwah accused the Houthis of systematically stealing humanitarian aid, selling it on the black market, and rewarding only loyalists while leaving the majority of Yemenis to starve. She revealed that some UN staff are forced to pay the group massive 'security' commissions, sometimes up to 75%, to move aid shipments — many of which never reach those in need. In other cases, vital supplies have been left to rot in warehouses.
She dismissed the argument made by some international organizations that designating the Houthis as a terrorist group would hinder aid delivery, calling it a dangerous myth. In her view, leniency toward the militia has only emboldened it, worsening the humanitarian disaster.
On US policy, Basendwah explained how the terrorist designation has been used as a political bargaining chip. Former President Donald Trump enacted it late in his first term, only for President Joe Biden to reverse it, citing humanitarian concerns.
Trump reinstated the decision in his second term, with some positive results — though she stressed it must be fully enforced to be truly effective. She also called on the European Union to adopt the same designation, condemning political opposition in Europe that she believes plays into the Houthis' hands.
Basendwah warned that the Houthis pose not only a national threat but also a global one, engaging in maritime piracy, mining ports, bombing oil tankers, and launching missiles and drones that endanger international trade routes. She described the failure to liberate Hudaydah Port in 2017 as a lost strategic opportunity that allowed the militia to maintain a lifeline for weapons smuggling and illicit financing.
The human cost under Houthi rule, she said, is staggering — particularly for women. More than 1,400 are currently imprisoned without trial, subjected to torture, rape, and arbitrary detention. The group imposes draconian restrictions on women's dress, education, work, and travel, with punishments enforced by its female enforcers, the 'Zainabiyat,' ranging from public humiliation to forced head-shaving for traveling without a male guardian.
Journalists and free speech advocates have also been crushed, with media outlets seized, reporters arrested, and dissenting voices silenced. Since 2015, Dr. Basendwah said, the Houthis have created an atmosphere where only pro-militia narratives can exist, driving most human rights defenders into exile.
She concluded with a clear call to action:
Internationally recognize the Houthis as a terrorist group.
Tighten controls on smuggling and illicit funding.
Support the liberation of Yemeni territories from militia control.
Guarantee human rights protections, especially for women, children, and journalists.
Only decisive, united action, Basendwah stressed, can dismantle the militia's power, end the cycle of violence, and build a future for Yemen based on justice and the rule of law.
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