Shaima Mahmoud (35 years old), who lives in the Shubra El Kheima area (north of Cairo), prepares eggs for her son Younes, as an almost daily and indispensable part of the school meal (sandwiches). She told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Eggs are cheaper” and suitable for school, but she complained about the increase in the cost of the school meal with the jump in egg prices these days.
Like Shaima, millions of mothers depend on eggs as a main meal during school days, which was reflected in an increase in demand rates in the market, in contrast to the decline that the markets witnessed during the past months, and some attributed it to the influence of the “Al-Tayyibat Diet”, by the late Diaa Al-Awadi, which prohibits eating eggs, chicken, and many other types of food for the reason of “harm.”
The average price of a carton of eggs reached 140 pounds (the dollar is about 52 pounds) in the markets, up from about 90 pounds a few weeks ago, at a time when the head of the Poultry Wealth Division at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, Abdel Aziz Al-Sayed, considers that the price increase does not amount to “compensating for losses” for the past period, but rather a “break-even point,” meaning covering the cost of production with a small profit margin, pointing out that part of the increase “is unjustified, and imposed by the intermediary circles (sellers). Farm owners sell a carton for 115 pounds.”
The significant decline in the price of eggs in the recent period had previously sparked widespread controversy and calls for help from farm owners, claiming that they had incurred losses. They then called on the government to intervene to control the system and establish a mechanism that would achieve fair prices for producers. The proposal did not find popular or official resonance, amid questions about the absence of such calls in times of high egg and chicken prices.
Al-Sayed explains the recent large increase in the price of eggs as a result of the lack of supply compared to the previous period with the increase in demand, which led to an increase in prices, according to the “supply and demand” policy. He added: “In the previous months, we had a large abundance of production, with a decline in demand, whether due to good deeds, or a decrease in the purchasing power of the citizen, which caused producers to suffer huge losses, which led to the exit of some of them from the market.”
Economist Wael Al-Nahhas told Asharq Al-Awsat that the poultry market witnessed major losses in the recent period, in which only the major producers survived, while many left, adding in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that increases were expected, whether in the prices of poultry or eggs.
The head of the Poultry Wealth Division continued: “With the start of school, which is the season in which the demand for eggs increases, a family with three children consumes about a carton every ten days, and this led to an increase in the price.”
Egypt is witnessing high rates of inflation, as the annual inflation rate last August recorded 14.5 percent, compared to 14.9 percent last July.
The economist expected that the increase in the price of eggs would be just the beginning of a series of inflationary increases in poultry products in particular, whether in light of the increase in yellow corn feed by an average of 14 to 17 percent, and soybeans by about 14 percent, all of which are feed used in raising poultry, or an increase in the food basket in general, as a result of regional conditions.
He added: “The increases will be in basic goods that the citizen uses and cannot do without, and will put him and the government in a dilemma.”
The western and southwestern fronts of Taiz Governorate imposed themselves as the arena of the most intense battle during the last two weeks, with confrontations led by Yemeni government forces against the Houthis in the highlands overlooking the western coast and Bab al-Mandab, coinciding with the group’s attempts to put pressure on the city of Taiz from its southern and southeastern fronts.
According to field data, the Houthi group allied with Iran is trying to consolidate its positions in the coastal areas and the highlands overlooking them, taking advantage of the nature of the mountainous region, which gives control over it a greater ability to monitor movement and supply lines, and approach the areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
In return, government forces are pushing their forces towards the ruling heights to prevent the establishment of this deployment, in conjunction with targeting supply lines and Houthi gatherings.
In the most prominent developments, government forces announced, on Friday, control of the summit of “Jabal Numan” and “Tabat Dar al-Kafir” in a lightning military operation, with the participation of forces from the Sixth Brigade in the “National Shield,” the “Giants’ Forces,” and the Popular Resistance. A military source said that the operation led to Houthi elements fleeing towards the town of Al-Shuqaira, the center of Al-Waziyah District.
“Jabal Numan” is gaining field importance. Because of his supervision of areas in Al-Waziyah and Al-Mudaraba, and the movement lines between them, while military sources said that the Houthis were using the site for surveillance, bombing, and an infiltration route. Controlling it comes in the context of government movements aimed at strengthening and securing sites in western Taiz and areas adjacent to Hajj.
But control did not resolve the battle around the mountain completely, as later field information reported that the Houthis launched bombardment with missiles, artillery, and drones, and were able to return to parts of Jabal Numan in the Al-Alqama area on the outskirts of Al-Shamaytain, while violent confrontations continued around the site.
This reflects the nature of the ongoing battle on the western highlands. The Houthi group is trying to maintain focal points that enable it to monitor the corridors leading to the coast, while government forces seek to deprive it of the heights that could be used to stabilize its positions or protect its supply lines.
Striking supplies... and expanding the confrontation
In western Taiz, Armed Forces spokesman, Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili, said that government forces targeted Houthi elements in Al-Mokha and the group’s supply lines in Dhubab. This targeting places the supplies coming to the Houthi positions on the coast among the objectives of military operations, in conjunction with the fighting on the heights overlooking the region.
On the Kahboub Mountains front of the Al-Mudaraba and Ras Al-Ara District, the “Giants’ Forces” said that over the past two weeks, they had thwarted repeated Houthi attacks, and were able to destroy attacking groups and restore sites that the group had controlled, confirming that the Houthis were unable to achieve steady progress in this region. The forces of the Tur Al-Baha axis also announced that they had confronted a Houthi attack on the Rasan front in the western countryside of Taiz, noting that the attackers had retreated after deaths.
These fronts gain additional importance from their proximity to Bab al-Mandab, as Kahboub is located within the mountain range overlooking the strait, which makes control of the surrounding highlands part of the struggle to stabilize the lines of deployment and control the land corridors leading to the coast.
Meanwhile, government forces continued their strikes in other sectors of Taiz. The Taiz axis announced the killing of 13 Houthi members and the injury of 12 others during the past 24 hours, according to a toll announced by the axis, as a result of confrontations and artillery and air strikes on several fronts.
Government forces targeted a military vehicle and a number of motorcycles in Wadi Ghurab, northwest of Taiz, while artillery bombed Houthi sites in Tabet Sareh in the Al-Salou Front, and gatherings of the group in Tabbat Al-Qari’.
The forces also thwarted two infiltration attempts in Al-Aqroud and the eastern front of the city of Taiz, while drones targeted Houthi gatherings in Al-Kadha, and military aircraft carried out raids on sites on the Al-Ahkoum front.
Pressure on the city of Taiz
The fighting is not limited to the western front of Taiz; The operations there coincide with attacks and infiltration attempts in the south and southeast of the governorate, in a Houthi effort to keep government forces under continuous pressure around the city of Taiz and its corridors.
On the eastern front of the city, government forces positions were subjected to Houthi bombardment with several shells during the night hours, one of which fell in a residential neighborhood without any casualties recorded among the residents, according to field information.
The nature of the simultaneous operations indicates the expansion of the scope of the confrontation between the two sides on more than one axis, as government forces are trying to prevent the Houthis from consolidating their gains in the west of the governorate, at a time when the group is seeking to exhaust the forces defending the city and open loopholes from other directions.
In the midst of these developments, the head of the Presidential Command Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, placed the military escalation within a broader battle to restore state institutions. He called on the Yemenis to “general mobilization and national mobilization” and to rally around the armed and security forces, declaring at the same time the opening of the door to a safe return to the ranks of the republic and constitutional legitimacy, while declaring a comprehensive amnesty for those who abandon fighting or working for the benefit of the Houthis, in accordance with constitutional and legal procedures.
Al-Alimi said that national battles “are not measured by progress here or retreat there,” but rather by clarity of purpose and solidity of will, defining the state’s goal of restoring its institutions and extending its sovereignty over the entire Yemeni territory, all the way to Sana’a. He also addressed the residents of the areas under the control of the Houthis as part of the state's responsibility, calling for their children not to be thrown into the war.
The Chairman of the Leadership Council linked internal developments to regional security, saying that the Houthi project aims to transform Yemeni lands and coasts into a source of constant threat to the security of Yemen and the region. He called on countries that want stability in Yemen and the Red Sea to support the government, the armed forces, and the Saudi-led coalition.
International warnings of the humanitarian repercussions of the recent Houthi escalation in Yemen have expanded, with the Yemeni government in New York moving to mobilize urgent international support for the health, food and development sectors, in conjunction with the United Kingdom’s announcement of providing 10 million pounds sterling in response to the emergency humanitarian appeal for Yemen.
During a series of meetings and events on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Foreign Minister Afrah Al-Zouba focused on the growing repercussions of the Houthi escalation on civilians, displaced people, and basic services, warning that the continuation of the fighting exacerbates the pressure on a health system that already suffers from limited resources.
Afrah Al-Zouba said, during her participation in a high-level event organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), that the government faces a double challenge: maintaining basic health services, providing medicines and vaccines, and at the same time responding to the increasing needs of the displaced as a result of the recent escalation.
The Minister indicated that the escalation led to the displacement of thousands of civilians, and forced some families to be displaced for the third or fourth time, adding new burdens to the limited resources and public budget, and obstructing plans to develop health services.
It warned that Houthi practices impede vaccines from reaching children in areas under the group's control, despite the availability of ready stocks for distribution.
She said that the detention of health workers on the grounds of supporting child immunization campaigns threatens disease prevention efforts and doubles health risks.
She confirmed that the Ministry of Health is working on preparing the national health strategy for the period 2026-2030, which places primary health care, maternal and child health, nutrition, immunization, and building a health system capable of withstanding and responding to crises among its priorities.
Afrah Al-Zouba called on the international community to continue supporting Yemeni children and strengthen the partnership with the government, warning that the recent escalation threatens what has been achieved over the past years in the field of health services, and increases pressure on the health system.
Food, displaced people, and kidnapped people
In another meeting with the Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Karl Skau, the Minister discussed developments in food security and the increasing needs of displaced people and affected communities, stressing the need to ensure that food and relief aid reaches its beneficiaries in a safe, regular and unhindered manner.
According to what the government reported, it reviewed what it described as violations that affected civilians, camps for displaced people, and humanitarian facilities, in addition to the looting of food and medical supplies, and the resulting loss of families of their homes and sources of livelihood and the exacerbation of their basic needs.
She stressed the importance of mobilizing additional resources to finance humanitarian programs, especially with the expanding needs among displaced families. She also called for the release of United Nations and humanitarian workers detained by the Houthis, ensuring their safety and enabling them to perform their duties.
Skaw stressed that the World Food Program will continue to provide support to the Yemeni people and coordinate with the government and partners to enhance food security and respond to humanitarian needs.
In her meeting with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spolijaric Egger, Afrah Al-Zuba discussed the humanitarian situation and the repercussions of the escalation, in addition to the Committee’s activities and field projects in the Yemeni governorates.
The Yemeni minister warned of the continued pressure imposed by the Houthi group on international organizations and humanitarian workers, stressing the government's readiness to provide the necessary facilities for the work of the committee and its offices in Yemen.
It gave the file of detainees and abductees a clear priority, calling on the International Committee of the Red Cross to intensify its efforts and put pressure to enable it to visit detainees held by the Houthis and check on their conditions.
From relief to recovery
On the development side, Afrah Al-Zouba discussed with the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, Jorge Moreira da Silva, ways to support the government’s priorities in infrastructure, basic services, and recovery and sustainable development projects.
The meeting discussed the repercussions of the recent developments in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab on the living and economic conditions in Yemen, at a time when the government seeks to direct international interventions towards long-impact projects, instead of limiting the response to humanitarian emergencies.
The Minister stressed the importance of strengthening the partnership with United Nations agencies and directing their interventions in line with the priorities of the government’s plans, while the UN official stressed continuing to support development and recovery efforts, and enhancing coordination to implement priority projects.
At a high-level meeting on the Global Development Initiative, Afrah Al-Zouba called on the international community and finance and development institutions to transform pledges into concrete projects and programs in the infrastructure, health, education, water and energy sectors, in addition to supporting economic recovery and job creation.
In conjunction with the Yemeni action in New York, the United Kingdom announced the provision of an emergency aid package worth 10 million pounds sterling in response to the United Nations emergency appeal on Yemen.
The British government said that the funding will be allocated to provide food, health care, and support urgent vaccinations for the displaced and those affected by the recent escalation.
British Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, Stephen Doty, said that the Houthi escalation had devastating effects, undermined the stability of the region, and led to civilian deaths, stressing that the new aid targets the most vulnerable Yemeni groups affected by recent developments.
