A Decade of Devastation: How Houthi Control Turned Sana’a Into a City of Ruins and Oppression

Written by: Muhammad Jalal – Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Al Dustour Newspaper

Over ten years ago, an armed militia seized control of state institutions in Yemen through force, coercion, and deceptive slogans.

Under this militant grip, the city of Sana’a transformed gradually into a sprawling landscape defined by detention centers and collective hardship.

Throughout a decade of authoritarian rule, the faction stripped public sector employees of their salaries and plundered local resources.

The systematic campaign extended to educational facilities, converting schools into military barracks and manipulating young lives in futile conflicts.

A glaring contradiction defines their discourse, as hollow regional slogans contrast sharply with the daily suffering inflicted upon local citizens.

Operating outside any constitutional framework, the armed group relies strictly on intimidation and external agendas that threaten national identity.

The cumulative legacy of this decade remains visible in destroyed infrastructure, vacant institutions, and widespread civilian hardship.

Despite ongoing challenges, historical resilience points toward an eventual restoration of stability and sovereignty across the nation.