Yemen’s Military Unable to Make Payroll
Southern soldiers detain gas truck after four months without wages.
This is not a new phenomenon. Teachers wages (and other civil servants) are also subject to garnishment and seizure by supervisors. Various groups of soldiers have been protesting for years about unpaid wages. Corruption is so endemic in the military that commanders pocket soldiers salaries, leading to low morale and several prior cases of the refusal to obey orders. With the government’s budget reduced by 50% in 2009 from decreased oil revenue, the Yemeni military may become more mutinous as the cash crunch hits harder.
