After the Photos Were Exposed: Pro-Allied Officials Respond to Protesters with Expensive Liquor Bottles (Watch)

NYN | Reports and Analyses 

Exclusive photos have revealed that Yemeni officials loyal to the Saudi-led Arab Coalition imported a massive shipment of expensive liquor worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, at a time when the people of Aden are suffering from an unprecedented economic collapse, with the price of the dollar reaching 2300 riyals, and electricity becoming a distant dream.

According to informed sources inside Yemeni ports, the shipment, which included rare types of alcoholic beverages, was seized off the coasts of the Al-Mudharabah and Ras Al-Arah districts in the Lahj Governorate while being smuggled into Aden under the cover of humanitarian goods.

The photos show that the smuggled shipment, valued at over $500,000, contained hundreds of luxury bottles of international liquor. Fake documents were used to classify the goods as “medical aid” to avoid inspection.

This comes amid the tragic situation in Aden, where 82% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to UN statistics. Meanwhile, luxury liquor is sold at secret parties for the “elite” of officials, who have neglected to provide the necessary fuel to run power stations for four consecutive months or to address the rising costs and economic deterioration.

Public reactions have not hidden their shock and anger. Abu Hani, a resident of Aden, said while waiting in a fuel line: “Officials are drinking liquor with dollars, while we are dying of thirst and hunger. Where is their conscience?”

Followers stated that importing liquor with hard currency is a crime against a people who are paying the price for a war they have no part in, pointing out that the scandal exposes a systematic corruption network among officials who have no respect for the Yemeni people and are only concerned with their whims at the expense of the poverty and hunger spreading among citizens.