Total blackout plunges Aden, Lahj into darkness amid system collapse

ADEN, LAHJ, May 01 (YPA) – The governorates of Aden and Lahj have experienced a near-total collapse of the power grid, resulting in a complete blackout lasting over 24 hours.

The crisis unfolds amidst official silence and a total disregard for citizen suffering as a scorching summer approaches.

In Lahj, a total power failure coincided with intensive disconnection campaigns against residents behind on payments, despite the utility’s failure to provide even minimal service.

In Aden, districts such as Crater recorded record outages exceeding 10 consecutive hours, as previous Saudi promises to support the energy sector failed to materialize.

The Saudi-backed government remains unable to secure fuel shipments for power plants due to economic collapse and a revenue shortfall following the refusal of four governorates to remit funds to the Central Bank.

Meanwhile, activists have accused factions loyal to Saudi-led coalition of weaponizing basic services and salaries—unpaid for four consecutive months—as political leverage, further exacerbating the dire living conditions for residents in the southern governorates.

YPA