We demand the adoption of the Saudi riyal as a legal currency in Yemen

The terrible collapse of the national currency (the riyal) in Yemen has forced the government to use what remains of its powers to adopt the International Monetary Fund’s proposal, which was presented to it in 2019, to adopt the Saudi riyal and the dollar as legal currencies for circulation in Yemen. This time, the matter seems so serious that it is necessary to stop dealing in the Yemeni riyal and adopt only the Saudi riyal and the dollar for circulation.

We must deal with the Yemeni riyal as a value that has lost its meaning and impact, just like the government, the Presidential Leadership Council, and everyone who has a relationship with the legitimate authority structures. The role of the House of Representatives and the Shura Council has been disrupted, the Yemenis have lost a failed elected president, and are afflicted with a leadership council that lacks legitimacy and competence and constitutes a serious threat to the unity and existence of the Yemeni state. The unified armed forces have been dismantled into armed formations that lack national doctrine, and some of them work as pawns in the hands of those conspiring against the unity of the country.

All of this has happened and is happening, but the Yemeni people today are not concerned with anything more than finding quick and decisive solutions to the currency that affects their lives, circulates them, and turns them into a people who beg for basic living needs and have become extremely unable to meet them, despite their involvement in work and their adherence to the means of obtaining a livelihood.

There is no doubt that the disruption of legitimate authority and the disruption of exportable national resources, primarily oil and gas, are two major factors in the deterioration of the riyal’s value. However, we want the regional powers that have deliberately caused all this destruction in our country and our geography to reach the conviction that there is no way to achieve their illegitimate goals in Yemen, even if they continue to adopt the current strategy of destroying the state, its structures, capabilities and sovereignty.

Hence, the importance of starting to adopt the Saudi riyal and the dollar as legal currencies for circulation to protect the Yemeni people from the terrible collapse in the riyal’s price. It is important that this procedure coincides with the adoption of salaries in Saudi riyals, in line with the value of the riyal that prevailed in 2019.

In this case, Saudi Arabia, which insists on full control over Yemen’s political and economic decision-making, will have to support the salary budget in Saudi riyals, which will be a debt on the government that will be compensated through a portion of the oil sales revenues from the moment the export process resumes.

(From the author's page)