Fuel price disparities across in Yemen spark accusations of resource mismanagement, exploitation

ADEN, May 09 (YPA) – Residents of Aden and other southern and eastern Yemeni provinces have been continuing to face soaring fuel prices amid accusations of manipulation in the pricing of locally produced gasoline from the Safer oil and gas facility in Marib, which critics say has been used to serve partisan interests at the expense of citizens’ living conditions.

According to circulating figures, a 20-liter gallon of locally produced gasoline is sold in Marib for around 8,000 Yemeni riyals, which equals $33.53, while the same quantity reaches 23,000 riyals in Aden and Mukalla, and rises to nearly 32,000 riyals in Taiz, reflecting major disparities in fuel pricing between provinces.

Observers said the sharp differences in prices raise questions about the management of national resources and the absence of unified pricing policies, especially as citizens in several southern provinces struggle with deteriorating economic and service conditions.

Critics argued that restricting low-cost fuel sales to Marib while other provinces pay significantly higher prices reflects political and economic exploitation of sovereign resources, further deepening public frustration in Aden, Taiz, Hadramout, and other areas facing worsening humanitarian conditions.

The issue also comes amid ongoing accusations that revenues from Marib’s oil sector are not being transferred to the central government account in Aden, with activists and local observers warning that fuel pricing and oil revenues are increasingly being used to reinforce political influence rather than address public needs and development priorities.