Houthi militias and troops loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh have been bombing mosques and schools in the Yemeni provinces since their coup against the legitimate government.
Houthis, accused of taking the country decades back to an era of ignorance, are denying the Yemenis a peaceful life and access to education.
Official statistics show that after their emergence as a militant group reportedly backed by Iran, Houthis have bombed a staggering number of mosques and schools in some provinces. They are turning some structures into barracks or weapons stores.
In a recent meeting with Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh in Riyadh, Dr. Ahmed Attia, Yemeni minister of Endowments and Guidance, said that “Houthi militias and Saleh loyalists bombed more than 299 mosques, and 24 others were severely damaged, besides turning at least 146 mosques into military barracks and storage of weapons.”
Official Yemeni sources said Houthis and Saleh’s loyalists destroyed 1,700 schools since they started insurgency in several provinces in March 2015.
Yemeni Minister of Education Abdullah Meles said recently that about 2,000 schools built under Basic Education Development Program and funded by the US, the EU and other countries, were destroyed in less than two years.
In the capital Sanaa, the media center of the Yemeni revolution, a non-governmental civil media center issued a report that stated that Shiite militias committed 279 violations against the educational process in the capital during the year 2016 only.
The report said that the “violations included five key areas: Students, teachers, schools, educational institutions and curricula.”
“The pace of violations increased during the last three months of 2016, to coincide with protests by the staff of educational institutions against delays in receiving salaries,” the report said.
It also stated that students and teachers were forced to pay money, starting this month, to support the war effort and of the Central Bank, after it was transferred to Aden.
Students’ parents expressed surprise at the request for money from the management of schools their children are attending.
Eyewitnesses said Houthi gunmen visit schools to urge students to donate to the Central Bank and the “war effort.”

Source: Arab News