Estimated Losses in Transport Sector in Yemen Over Nine Years of War

It has been nine years since Yemen slid into a civil war after the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group ousted the country’s UN-recognized government in 2015, setting the country on the path of chaos. 

The civil war was coupled with military intervention by the Saudi-led Arab coalition that sought to drive the Houthi group out of areas it controlled by force of weapons. 

The civil war and the Arab coalition’s aerial campaign have left colossal damage and destruction in different sectors, including the transport sector, particularly in Houthi-controlled areas. 

Houthi-appointed transport minister Abdulwahab Aldura said at a press conferenceyesterday that the losses of the transport sector during nine years of war amounted to over US$13 billion. 

He explained the losses of the air transportsector amounted to nearly US$7 billion. The losses of the maritime sector amounted to more than US$5 and a half billion, and the losses of the land transport sector reached approximately US$1 billion.

Last week, it was reported that 7940 roads and bridges were damaged or destroyed, 15 airports and 16 ports attacked, 493 boats targeted. 

Yemen has six international land ports, but only Al-Wadea border crossing with Saudi Arabia and Shahin and Sarfit border crossings with Oman remain open.