Yemen: Corruption has become a methodology for the burgeoning war economy
English - Monday 16 March 2020 الساعة 03:24 pm
Aden, Newsyemen, private
The international anti-corruption organization ranked "Transparency International" in the latest indicator of corruption perceptions, Yemen ranked 177 out of 180 countries, and the international organization gave Yemen 15 degrees on a scale from zero to 100 "where zero represents the most corrupt and the 100 most honest."
According to the Corruption Perceptions Index 2019 published by Transparency International, Yemen has not experienced such a decline except in the past several years, indicating a general trend towards increased corruption.
Economists affirm that, with the development of the conflict in Yemen in late 2014, the burgeoning war economy has developed, corruption has become systematic, and the changing patronage networks - and the war economy that supports them - are a driving force behind the conflict.
The flourishing war economy in Yemen has witnessed the emergence of marginalized or unknown actors, and patronage networks are now intersecting the front lines, as both sides of the conflict voluntarily cooperate to maximize private gains.
A new economic study on "Combating Corruption in Yemen" said actors who were opposing each other politically and militarily for influence on the ground. But the reality beneath the surface is more complicated.
The study, issued by the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, indicated that a wide range of actors constitute the prosperous war economy in Yemen, who are senior decision makers, military leaders, and founding and newly authorized businessmen.
The study added, local security officials who control checkpoints, commercial bankers, money exchanges, truck drivers and civil servants, corruption networks cross the conflict, and smoothly cross the frontlines and regional borders, with adversary enemies cooperating to maximize profits.
