Tariffs imposed on drivers ignites armed clashes in Abyan

ABYAN, July 05 (YPA) – Armed clashes erupted on Saturday among the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) factions in Abyan province, south of Yemen.

Sources familiar with the matter said the members of the 85th Brigade, loyal to the coalition-affiliated governor of Abyan, Abu Bakr Hussein Salem, clashed with the Dofes checkpoint recruits of the Security Belt, in an attempt to seize taxes imposed on drivers in the area.

The sources said an exchange of gunfire between the two sides and blocked the road had sparked panic and terror among travelers, with no mention of any human or material losses.

The sources stated that the clashes came in response to the Security Belt Forces’ control over one of the tax collection points in Wadi Hassan, outside Zinjibar city, over the past few months.

The commander of the Security Belt Forces in Abyan, Haidera Al-Sayed, refused, during all mediations and directives, to return the Wadi Hassan collection point to the local authority.

AA