Taiz – He was looking for a job Sana’a, but Abdullah al-Sharafi, a displaced Yemeni from Hajjah, has found himself alone in the capital eight months after his salary was cut, like all public sector employees, under Houthi and Saleh militias rule.
The only opportunity provided for him was fighting with Houthis. Fed up with the situation in the capital, he is searching for anyone to lend him money to return with his family to Hajjah.
Sharafi, like many other Yemenis, sold his furniture, his wife’s jewelry and even his small television set to leave his city and search, in vain, for a job. He has not found anything and no one has paid him any heed.
Due to the harsh conditions, Sana’a has become the last resort for many displaced families. Yet, most of these families described it as a delusive place since it neither provides services nor job opportunities.
All they received were false promises in the media and outlets linked to the illegitimate government in Yemen.
Saleh’s rule of Yemen forced everything enter and exit or pass through Sana’a. The capital has become something like the center of displacement for all those fleeing the fighting or seeking work and a decent living for their families.
Asharq Al-Awsat met with displaced people and civilians in Sana’a, who talked about the tragedy in the capital city, which has been occupied by Houthi and Saleh militias since September 2014.
“The war has led to harsh and unbearable humanitarian conditions. We only want a civilian state free of weapons and we want our salaries so that we can live in dignity,” Sharafi told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“I came to Sana’a to find work, but I found that Sana’a can no longer bear anyone. The conditions of people who live here have become more tragic than before as people are coming from all of the northern provinces to the capital to look for a job or to live with their relatives,” he added.
Sharafi pointed out that life in the villages is much better than that in Sana’a where most of the families can’t even provide food and there are many beggars in the streets.
He said that when he first arrived to Sana’a and applied for a job with some of his acquaintances who have ties with Houthis, they offered him to fight with them if he wanted to work.