Mohammed Khaled stands at the edge of the narrow dirt road that connects his distant village to the rest of Yemen when the sound of a rusty motorcycle engine breaks the silence. An hour has passed since he left his home in the rural Yemeni district of Ash Sha'ir, and it will be at least two more until he reaches his destination. After a long negotiation, Khaled agrees to pay 7.38 euros for a trip to one of the most densely populated cities in the country, Ibb (capital of the governorate of the same name, in the southwest), where he works as a bus driver. Since 2012, this complicated journey has been a major obstacle that Khaled has had to deal with on a daily basis.
Yemen's nine-year civil war has caused the destruction of a significant portion of the country's infrastructure, with at least 100 bridges and approximately a third of paved roads reduced to rubble, and total losses amounting to €3.3 billion. . Roads that have remained open for military use have not been maintained since the beginning of the war, making many of them unsuitable for travel and transportation.
Khaled is one of millions of Yemenis who face difficulties accessing essential services due to damaged or non-existent infrastructure, adding to the multiple struggles of a poverty-stricken nation experiencing the world's worst humanitarian crisis. , according to the UN. Since the road to his village is only accessible by donkey, camel and, if he's lucky, a small car or motorbike, Khaled leaves the bus parked in Ibb and embarks on a journey home that is plagued by of obstacles and lasts at least another three hours. It is a struggle that he is accustomed to and that he must endure to put food on the table for his wife and his nine children.
The absence of a government has led Yemenis to crowdfund at least five initiatives in several cities, raising almost $2.8 million (€2.6 million) to repair several essential roads.
An initiative with the help of expatriates
In early 2021, fed up with their situation and without help from the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG) in Aden or the Houthi Government in Sana'a, the residents of the Ash Sha'ir area launched a cooperation initiative to finish building a road of about eight kilometers between this district of the Ibb governorate and its capital, at a cost of approximately two million euros. Mamdouh Al Burti, director of the initiative, estimates that the project helps more than 40,000 people get to and from the city.
The Yemeni government had started work on the highway in 2013, but construction stopped after the outbreak of war in 2015. According to Al Burti, work was paralyzed for weeks due to fuel shortages caused by skyrocketing prices. oil prices, but, with the support of “donors, volunteers and contract workers” and financing from expatriates, they finally ended in January 2023.
The road leading to Khaled's village was widened and paved, and he can now park comfortably close to home. You can even earn some extra income by offering transportation to neighborhood students to and from Ibb University. “Things are much better since the town is accessible,” she says.
Residents of the town of Al Odayn joined together on WhatsApp and managed to raise 646,369 euros in 11 years to repair a four-kilometer stretch of the road used by more than 12,000 people
Over the years, floods and heavy rains have taken their toll on the already deteriorated Al Amarna road, which connects the provinces of Ibb, Taiz (southwest) and Al Hudaydah (west). Nasser Al Mujidi, a resident of Al Odayn (Ibb governorate), confirms that more than 100 people have lost their lives in the last decade in accidents caused by the rough terrain of the road. In 2012, after local pleas fell on deaf ears, residents of Al Odayn formed a community initiative on WhatsApp that managed to raise €646,369 over 11 years to repair the four-kilometre stretch of road. and used by more than 12,000 people. “Raising money was difficult, especially with the outbreak of war,” says Al Mujidi, adding that transporting people and food is easier now that the town can be accessed safely.
In July 2023, the nearly 10,000 residents of Manazil Bardan, in the Al Jabal region, managed to repair the 400-meter-long and four-meter-wide dirt road that connects their village to the main road and pave it with stones and cement. . The initiative raised funds from expatriates and residents and businessmen inside and outside the town, for a total of 55,357 euros. “It has not been easy to repair the road,” acknowledges Hassan Al Ebadi, coordinator of the initiative, for whom the scarcity of resources, the slow response of the population, in worsening economic conditions, and the increase in vehicle prices construction and transportation materials have contributed to the delays. Rashad Hamoud, a neighbor who works in a restaurant in Saudi Arabia, celebrates that he was able to build his house in less time than usual because the costs of transporting construction materials to the town have become cheaper with the fixed road.
New roads, new beginnings
Othman Al Sayed, a small business owner in Lahij (south, 50 kilometers from Aden), previously depended on his donkey to transport goods from a popular market in Al Robou, as the narrow road made it inaccessible to cars. . The two-kilometer walk was sometimes unbearable for Al Sayed, but the income from his supermarket was the only support for his family of 10.
These initiatives have addressed, albeit in a limited way, a humanitarian need and contributed to the peacebuilding process in war-torn Yemen.
Abdullah Shaddad, human rights activist
In 2021, residents of three villages on the outskirts of Lahij dug a dirt road in the mountains to connect with Al Robou market. The mountainous terrain posed a challenge for residents, without access to modern equipment. The project dragged on, but financing from expatriates, merchants and wealthy residents helped finish the work earlier this year for 303,000 euros. “This road will help alleviate the suffering of more than 12,000 people,” says Muneer Ali Al Shuhati, head of the initiative, adding that children can now take the bus to school instead of walking, and business owners transport your goods easily.
Both Huthaim Al Nuzaily, Houthi director of public works in Ibb, and Salim Al Maamari, director of public and media relations at the Road and Bridge Maintenance Fund, affiliated with the Internationally Recognized Government, refrained from commenting on the initiatives. of micro-patronage.
Abdullah Shaddad, human rights activist and director of the Law Protection Foundation and the National Team for Local Mediation, emphasizes: “These initiatives have revealed a sense of unity within the community. “They have addressed, albeit in a limited way, a humanitarian need and contributed to the peacebuilding process in war-torn Yemen.”