Hajj and Umrah Sector of the General Authority for Endowments and Guidance Launches First Group Trips for Pilgrims to the Holy House of God

 

The General Authority for Endowments and Guidance, represented by its Hajj and Umrah Sector, launched today the process of transporting pilgrims to the Holy House of God for the 1447 AH Hajj season.

During the launch, the Deputy Head of the Authority, Dr. Fouad Naji, explained that the launch of the first land trips for pilgrims to the Holy House of God from the capital, Sana’a, comes after the establishment of a special transport station. This station was prepared by the Hajj and Umrah Sector in cooperation with the General Authority for Regulating Land Transport Affairs, to facilitate the pilgrims’ travel procedures and ensure their safety by inspecting the buses and completing all organizational procedures.

He noted the Authority’s commitment to providing the best possible services to pilgrims despite the current challenges, pointing to the continued intransigence of the Saudi regime and its prevention of Yemenis in Sana’a and the liberated governorates from performing Hajj. This is due to the ongoing closure of Sana’a Airport and land crossings, with the exception of the Al-Wadi’ah crossing, which is experiencing a buildup of hundreds of buses.

Dr. Naji highlighted the suffering of pilgrims attempting to perform Hajj through the Al-Wadi’ah crossing, with some cases resulting in death due to the long waiting times for completing procedures.

He emphasized that the Yemeni people have been suffering since 2015 from the politicization of Hajj and its use as a tool of pressure by the regime’s mercenaries. This has led to a doubling of costs and a decline in the quality of services provided compared to previous years.

The Deputy Head of the Endowments and Guidance Authority called on the Saudi regime to reopen the electronic portal for the Sana’a government through the Hajj and Umrah sector of the Authority, compensate the Yemeni people for their suffering, and refrain from using Hajj as a tool of pressure, keeping it separate from conflicts, given its status as one of the pillars of Islam. For his part, Sheikh Muqbil al-Kadahi, Undersecretary of the Hajj and Umrah Sector, confirmed that the launch of the Hajj pilgrimage transportation process comes within the framework of a joint effort between the General Authority for Endowments and Guidance, represented by the Hajj and Umrah Sector, the General Authority for Regulating Land Transport Affairs, and the Yemeni Economic Corporation. This marks the departure of the first groups of pilgrims within Yemen’s quota of 21,000, down from 25,000.

He pointed out that the Saudi regime and its mercenaries manipulated the quota by canceling 4,000 pilgrims, while the Yemeni population exceeds 35 million.

Sheikh al-Kadahi explained that a special area has been prepared as a central hub for transporting pilgrims from all Hajj agencies. All necessary equipment has been provided, and the safety of the buses and the completion of transportation procedures have been overseen to ensure a smooth process, following the difficulties the sector experienced in previous years due to the fragmentation of transportation locations.

He praised the efforts of the Authority’s leadership in overcoming the difficulties and obstacles related to transporting pilgrims, and commended the role of the directors and staff of the Hajj and Umrah Sector in monitoring and directly supervising the transportation process. The inauguration was attended by the Hajj and Umrah Sector Advisor Abdulrahman Al-Naami, the Director General of Hajj and Umrah Ali Jaeel, the Director General of Hajj Organization and Accounts Naji Shaiban, members of the Supreme Hajj Committee, and employees of the Hajj and Umrah Sector.