On The Ground in Yemen: A LIVE Commentary from our Partner SQI’s Director, Shah Reza
Assalamualaikum Wr Wb,
Over the past few days, I’ve been spending more time on the ground here in Yemen together with our local teams and partners, observing preparations closely ahead of the Qurban season.
Earlier this week, we travelled between Tarim and surrounding livestock areas in Hadramaut, sitting with suppliers, transporters, and local coordinators while reviewing the condition and movement of livestock coming in from different regions. Some of these journeys involve long desert routes stretching several hours between towns, often under temperatures crossing 45°C.
Sometimes from the outside, Qurban fulfilment may look straightforward. But being physically here reminds us that behind every completed Qurban, there are many moving parts quietly happening in the background.
One moment, the team is checking livestock conditions in the livestock markets around Seiyun and Tarim. Another moment, we are discussing transportation routes towards areas closer to Marib or reviewing accessibility updates coming from partners near Sana’a and Taiz.
To put things into perspective, travelling from Tarim to Sana’a itself can take more than 10 hours by road depending on conditions. Reaching areas near Al Hudaydah may involve entirely different logistical considerations due to distance, road access, and changing security situations on the ground.
A discussion that may take five minutes in Singapore can sometimes take an entire afternoon here due to distance, fuel coordination, and network interruptions. Some routes are measured not only by distance, but by road condition, checkpoint access, and fuel availability.
There are also many operational hurdles that people may not immediately see. In some areas, livestock markets only operate during limited hours due to electricity shortages. Communication with remote villages can sometimes be delayed because of unstable network coverage. In remote areas, mobile network signals sometimes only return after midnight.
Even coordinating cold storage and transportation schedules requires constant adjustments when fuel supplies become unpredictable. At times, livestock moves faster than information itself.
Just yesterday, one of our local coordinators shared how a transport arrangement had to be revised midway because diesel availability suddenly became limited in one district. These are the types of realities teams quietly navigate behind the scenes throughout the Qurban season.
The atmosphere on the ground itself is something difficult to fully describe unless one experiences it personally. The smell of hay, livestock feed, diesel, and desert dust fills most of the livestock markets by late afternoon. By Dhuhr, the metal railings around the holding areas become almost too hot to touch. After Maghrib, many negotiations continue under dim yellow lights powered by generators.
At one livestock holding area outside Tarim, one elderly shepherd told us he had been raising some of these goats for almost a year while waiting for the Qurban season. Entire local economies here still depend heavily on seasonal livestock cycles. For many rural communities, Qurban season is not only spiritually significant, but economically important.
In certain areas, suppliers still rely heavily on handwritten ledgers instead of digital inventory systems. Some livestock traders temporarily sleep near the holding areas during peak season to monitor prices and prevent theft.
One of our younger team members even spent almost an hour speaking with village elders over tea just to coordinate the safest distribution timing for one particular community. Years of conflict have shaped how logistics move across the country, and local relationships often matter just as much as operational planning itself.
Earlier today, while reviewing one unloading arrangement, some children were already following the livestock trucks even before unloading began. Moments like these become quiet reminders that Qurban here is not simply a transaction or campaign figure. For many families, meat is something rarely enjoyed consistently throughout the year.
What many also do not realise is that the global Qurban industry today is no longer a small seasonal activity. It is a multi-billion dollar ecosystem involving livestock supply chains, feed prices, border regulations, transportation networks, currency fluctuations, humanitarian logistics, and local economic ecosystems across multiple countries.
A fluctuation in livestock feed costs in East Africa can eventually affect pricing discussions here in Yemen. Fuel shortages in certain governorates can alter transportation timelines. Currency instability can influence how quickly suppliers are willing to release livestock into the market.
Being on the ground allows us to understand these realities firsthand instead of managing them purely from spreadsheets and reports.
Despite all this, one thing we continue to prioritise very seriously is ensuring that the amanah of Qurban is fulfilled properly.
Our teams work closely with local slaughter teams, veterinarians, and community representatives to ensure the animals meet the required specifications, the slaughter is carried out according to Shariah guidelines, and the distributions reach families who genuinely benefit from it.
In many cases, we also try our best to source livestock locally where possible. Not only does this support the local economy here in Yemen, but it also allows the fulfilment process to move more effectively within the realities of the environment.
As I’m writing this update tonight from Tarim, our teams are still coordinating tomorrow’s livestock movement schedules. Even while drafting this memo, calls are still coming in regarding transport timing adjustments. It is now close to midnight in Yemen, yet several of our local coordinators are still active finalising tomorrow’s operational routes.
Alhamdulillah, our teams remain committed to managing every stage of the fulfilment process with care, accountability, and strict Shariah compliance, even amidst challenging operational conditions.
Thank you once again for the continued trust and support throughout this campaign period. Please continue making doa for the safety and ease of all teams and beneficiaries on the ground.
Wassalamualaikum Wr Wb,
Mohamed Shah Reza
Director
SMART Qurban International Pte Ltd
