Aden witnesses new conflict between STC, bakery owners

ADEN, May 19 (YPA) – Disputes between bakery owners and the Saudi-led coalition-affiliated authorities in Aden city have intensified, leading to escalating tensions between the two sides.

According to local sources in the city, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) factions carried out a campaign of arrests and raids on a number of bakeries on Monday, under the pretext of monitoring those violating bread prices.

The sources indicated that authorities in Al-Tawahi and Mualla districts closed several bakeries and arrested their owners for what they described as exceeding the set price.

Meanwhile, activists expressed the STC-affiliated authorities’ refusal to accept the agreement reached between the Bakeries and Ovens Association and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the coalition-backed government, which allows for an increase in the price of a kilogram of bread to 2,000 riyals.

The head of the Aden Bakeries and Ovens Association, Abdo Abdul Jalil, announced last Thursday an agreement with the ministry to sell a kilogram of bread for 2,000 riyals.

This prompted bakeries to reopen after a closure that lasted approximately 24 hours due to the depreciation of the local currency against the dollar, which is needed to import raw materials.

Activists confirmed that the problems facing Aden and other areas under coalition control are exacerbated by the conflicting decisions of the controlling parties and the imposition of a fait accompli. The STC authorities consistently oppose government decisions, as evidenced by the current bread pricing crisis.

Amid this situation, citizens in areas of Yemen under coalition control are suffering from a sharp deterioration in economic and living conditions, leaving many families unable to meet their minimum basic needs.

YPA