In Yemen, war at home and in the region drives up prices

Sanaa, Yemen – Ahmed Yahya, 28, fills his taxi with 10 litres of petrol as he begins his workday early in the morning.“I feed my taxi with fuel first so that it can help feed my family,” Yahya, a taxi driver, said as he wiped the dust from his front window at a petrol station on the outskirts of Sanaa.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Migrant crossings to Europe by sea drop sharply amid heightened risks: IOMlist 2 of 3Trump administration approves sale of F-35 jets to Saudi Arabialist 3 of 3US approves visas for top Iranian leaders to attend UN General Assemblyend of listUp until earlier this week, Yahya used to pay 4,750 Yemeni riyals, the equivalent of roughly $8.90 in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The price had remained unchanged for about four years in territory under the rebel group’s control – including the capital Sanaa.But then, on Monday, the Houthis announced a roughly 10 percent increase in the price of petrol, up to 5,250 Yemeni Riyals ($9.80). After years of economic misery, Yahya described the price hike as another “painful surprise to an already devastated people”.The Houthi-run Yemen Petroleum Company said the diesel and petrol price increase was the...