Saudis travel to Yemen defying ban; punitive action awaits them: Official

NAJRAN – Many Saudis have reportedly visited Yemen ignoring a government warning banning them from traveling to the neighboring country by land, air and sea. The ban was slapped on Saudi citizens following the war on Houthi rebels to ensure their own safety and security. They visited Yemen from other countries to circumvent the ban, said Al-Watan Arabic daily. At the same time, Saudi authorities have intensified their efforts to impose the ban after Operation Decisive Storm, which was launched to restore legitimacy of Yemeni President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi. Saudis use various tricks to reach Yemen violating the ban, because of family relations. Young Saudis have reportedly gone to Yemen to join terrorist and extremist groups. The travel ban was first imposed in April 2015 when 29-year-old Ahmed Bin Mubarak Al-Hamami came under gun attack in Shabwa from Houthi rebels, who have allied with forces of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Al-Hamami sustained deep injuries in the attack. Following the attack, Saudi Arabia urged its citizens not to travel to Yemen as a precautionary measure fearing Houthi saboteurs would target them. A security source in Mukla, Yemen told Al-Watan that a number of Saudi families and individuals have violated the travel ban. These people usually go to places that come under the purview of the legitimate government in Hadramout and other southern cities to visit their relatives. “Security agencies in Yemen have noticed that a number of Saudis aged between 20 and 30 come to Yemen violating the travel ban to join terrorist organizations as they subscribe to extremist thoughts and ideologies,” the source told Al-Watan. Yemeni security forces monitor the movement of such young Saudis to prevent them from falling into the traps of extremist and terrorist groups, the source added. Saudis follow different routes to reach Yemen. Previously they were able to reach Hadramout from Wadeea border point, crossing just 300 km. Since that border point has been closed, they travel 600 km from the Omani border and almost the same distance on the coastal road to reach Mukla. Usually Saudis reach Oman by road through the UAE as the newly constructed road linking Riyadh with Muscat remains unopened. Some Saudis travel by plane to Salalah via Muscat. After that they travel by land to reach Yemen. Many others go to Egypt by plane to catch a Yemenia flight to reach Sayun. They pay SR3,000 for air ticket from Cairo to Sayun. Some Saudis return to the Kingdom through Wadeea checkpoint, which is close to Sharourah. They are allowed to enter the Kingdom but are sent to the Passports Department in Najran for punitive action against them for violating the travel ban. Lt. Col. Talal Shalhoub, spokesman of the Saudi Passports Department, confirmed that Yemen is one of the countries where Saudis are not allowed to travel to ensure their own safety. “We have various methods to identify individuals who have violated the travel ban and visited banned countries,” Shalhoub said, adding that they would be punished in accordance with the Passports Department bylaw. “Such violators will be fined or prevented from traveling abroad or given both punishments,” he added.