STC angers Abyan sheikhs after refusing to open Aqabat Tharah Road

ADEN, June 01 (YPA) – The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) rejected on Sunday any local initiatives calling for the opening of the Aqabat Tharah Road linking Abyan province to Sanaa and Bayda.

During a meeting with sheikhs and dignitaries of the Lawdar district of Abyan, the head of the STC branch in Abyan, Samir Al-Haid, confirmed his refusal to open the Aqabat Tharah road is a front line against Sanaa forces.

Al-Haid’s statements sparked widespread anger among the sheikhs and dignitaries of Lawdar and other tribes, who are demanding that the road be opened to alleviate the suffering of travelers.

The sheikhs and tribes called for an emergency meeting with the coalition-affiliated Abyan governor and its security director, particularly that the Sanaa government had announced the opening of the road in recent months and awaiting practical steps from the other party, loyal to the coalition.

A popular demonstration took place over the past two days in Lawdar by a number of residents of Abyan’s districts, demanding the opening of the Tharah road, similar to the STC’s opening of the Damt road of Dhalea province.

Last April, the Sanaa government announced a unilateral initiative to reopen the Aqabat Tharah road to ease the suffering of travelers from Abyan. However, STC leaders and media continue to accuse the sheikhs of Lawdar and Abyan of conspiring with Sanaa forces to seize control of the province.

AA