Feature: Yemenis struggle to prepare for Ramadan amid soaring prices-Xinhua

Feature: Yemenis struggle to prepare for Ramadan amid soaring prices

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2023-03-22 22:42:15

Customers shop at a supermarket for the upcoming Ramadan in Sanaa, Yemen, March 21, 2023. As Ramadan is arriving, people in Yemen's capital Sanaa are busy shopping to prepare for the holy month of fasting according to the Islamic calendar. However, the ongoing civil war and the high inflation have dampened the festive mood. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)

SANAA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- As Ramadan is arriving, people in Yemen's capital Sanaa are busy shopping to prepare for the holy month of fasting according to the Islamic calendar. However, the ongoing civil war and the high inflation have dampened the festive mood.

During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. They break their fast with dates and water after sunset, pray at mosques, and then enjoy various dishes with their families at home.

"I came here to get some groceries for Ramadan, and I was shocked by the prices," Abdullah Abdulsalam said at a market in the city center.

"We hope that our country will be safe, stable, and peaceful. That is our main wish. We also hope that the prices will go down and become affordable for those with low income so everyone can buy," Abdulsalam added.

Ali Rashied, another customer, said he is buying what he can afford for Ramadan.

"This year, despite the war, people are preparing for Ramadan by buying what they can afford ... We are trying to stay strong, live our lives, and keep working," Rashied told Xinhua.

Amal Mutahar, a private school teacher, said she only bought a 25 kg bag of white flour and a 5 kg bag of rice for her family of four because of the sharp price increase.

"The prices of meat, macaroni, sugar, sweets, and fruit juices, as well as the cooking gas, have all risen more than 30 percent compared to last Ramadan," she told Xinhua. "We cannot afford to buy them anymore."

The war, blockade, and currency collapse have caused prices to skyrocket and pushed most of the Yemenis into extreme poverty. Many Yemenis depend on foreign aid to make a living.

The UN aid agency World Food Program (WFP) has warned that hunger in Yemen is at an "unprecedented" level, affecting about 17 million people who do not have enough food. The WFP said on its website that "almost one-third of families (in Yemen) have poor diets, and rarely eat foods like pulses, vegetables, fruit, dairy products or meat."

The conflict in Yemen is entering its ninth year, and the United Nations is trying to find a political solution that could end the war and bring relief to the Yemeni people.

The war started in late 2014 when the Houthi militia, backed by Iran, took over several northern cities and forced the Yemeni government, supported by Saudi Arabia, out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has caused tens of thousands of deaths, 4 million displacements, and pushed the country to the edge of famine.

Customers shop at a supermarket for the upcoming Ramadan in Sanaa, Yemen, March 21, 2023. As Ramadan is arriving, people in Yemen's capital Sanaa are busy shopping to prepare for the holy month of fasting according to the Islamic calendar. However, the ongoing civil war and the high inflation have dampened the festive mood. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)

Customers shop at a supermarket for the upcoming Ramadan in Sanaa, Yemen, March 21, 2023. As Ramadan is arriving, people in Yemen's capital Sanaa are busy shopping to prepare for the holy month of fasting according to the Islamic calendar. However, the ongoing civil war and the high inflation have dampened the festive mood. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)

Customers shop at a supermarket for the upcoming Ramadan in Sanaa, Yemen, March 21, 2023. As Ramadan is arriving, people in Yemen's capital Sanaa are busy shopping to prepare for the holy month of fasting according to the Islamic calendar. However, the ongoing civil war and the high inflation have dampened the festive mood. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)

Customers shop at a supermarket for the upcoming Ramadan in Sanaa, Yemen, March 21, 2023. As Ramadan is arriving, people in Yemen's capital Sanaa are busy shopping to prepare for the holy month of fasting according to the Islamic calendar. However, the ongoing civil war and the high inflation have dampened the festive mood. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)