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News > Yemen

Yemenis Struggle to Prepare for Ramadan Amid Soaring Prices

  • A kid in Yemen.

    A kid in Yemen. | Photo: Twitter/ @midomarely

Published 22 March 2023
Opinion

The war, blockade, and currency collapse have caused prices to skyrocket and pushed most of the Yemenis into extreme poverty.

As Ramadan is arriving, people in Yemen's capital Sanaa are busy shopping to prepare for the holy month of fasting according to the Islamic calendar. However, the ongoing civil war and the high inflation have dampened the festive mood.

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During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. They break their fast with dates and water after sunset, pray at mosques, and then enjoy various dishes with their families at home.

"I came here to get some groceries for Ramadan, and I was shocked by the prices. We hope that our country will be safe, stable, and peaceful. That is our main wish. We also hope that the prices will go down and become affordable for those with low income," Abdullah Abdulsalam said at a market in the city center.

"The prices of meat, macaroni, sugar, sweets, fruit juices, and cooking gas have all risen more than 30 percent compared to last Ramadan. We cannot afford to buy them anymore," said Amal Mutahar, a teacher, who only bought a 25 kg bag of white flour and a 5 kg bag of rice.

The war, blockade, and currency collapse have caused prices to skyrocket and pushed most of the Yemenis into extreme poverty. Many Yemenis depend on foreign aid to make a living.

The tweet reads, "As over 1,000 children under the age of 5 die of malnutrition in Yemen (one every 10 minutes), some 'scholars' tell us that 'capitalism is perfect' because it 'creates wealth.' Capitalism, gentlemen, is also this: uneven development."

The World Food Program (WFP) has warned that hunger in Yemen is at an "unprecedented" level, affecting about 17 million people who do not have enough food. "Almost one-third of families have poor diets, and rarely eat foods like pulses, vegetables, fruit, dairy products or meat," it pointed out.

The conflict in Yemen is entering its ninth year, and the United Nations is trying to find a political solution that could end the war and bring relief to the Yemeni people.

The war started in late 2014 when the Houthi militia took over several northern cities and forced the Yemeni government, supported by Saudi Arabia, out of the capital Sanaa. The war has caused tens of thousands of deaths and 4 million displacements.

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