Sanaa, Yemen – Pickups carrying the bodies of Houthi fighters occasionally travel through the streets of Sanaa. Alongside them in the back, gunmen accompany the fallen fighters on their final journey to the cemetery. A song known as “Our martyrs are our greats” echoes loudly from the moving vehicles, drawing the attention of passersby.
At the cemetery, mourners solemnly pay their respects to the fallen fighters and show solidarity with their families. Funerals of fighters have been a recurring sight in Yemen over the past few weeks. Earlier this month, the Yemeni government said its forces killed or wounded 1,540 Houthis in 24 hours.
Last week, the government said 16,100 Houthi operatives and commanders had been killed or wounded since October 5. Houthis have also killed hundreds of pro-government troops over the past few weeks, with an October 19 missile attack on a security camp in Shabwa killing more than 70 government soldiers. While the families of the deceased fighters receive fleeting public tributes at cemeteries, their grief and loss endure long after the funerals.
For them, life has become more difficult, economic hardships have deepened and sorrow is a constant companion. We could smile to hide our pain, but our hearts are filled with bottomless grief,” Akram, a 23-year-old resident of Sanaa, told Al Jazeera. Abdulaziz, 21, was killed in Dhubab, in southwestern Yemen, while fighting alongside the Houthi group, two months after being recruited, Akram said.
Before Abdulaziz went to the front line, the two brothers worked in Sanaa as daily-wage workers in construction or agriculture. When they managed to get work, they pooled their earnings to cover the living expenses of their six-member family. That made the family’s financial difficulties “manageable”, said Akram.
Today, he struggles without his brother and covering the family’s basic needs has become a harder task. His income, along with mine, used to cover water, electricity and food expenses. Without him, I am like a bird with one wing, burdened by so many responsibilities,” said Akram.
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