Children sleep in Aden streets amid severe Saudi-backed household gas shortage

ADEN, Aug. 13 (YPA) – A shocking image of children sleeping in the middle of a street in the Saudi-controlled city of Aden while waiting to obtain a household gas cylinder has sparked widespread anger across the southern street, highlighting the unprecedented hardship facing residents of the city.

The image, circulated by activists on social media in recent hours, showed children spending the night on the street outside a gas-filling station, reflecting the inability of Saudi-backed authorities to provide tangible solutions for even the most basic essential services.

Residents of Aden also circulated images of long queues of people waiting to obtain gas cylinders amid a severe crisis in the city, which the report attributed to a reduction in the city’s gas allocation by the Safer Company in Marib, controlled by the Islah Party.

The escalating crises that have affected the city since early 2016 have extended to various aspects of daily life, including essential services such as household gas, electricity, healthcare, sanitation and water, further increasing the economic and living burdens on residents, amid continued salary disruptions.

Meanwhile, repeated promises by Saudi Arabia and, previously, the UAE to improve services have failed to materialize, with little to no improvement on the ground amid continued manufactured crises aimed at advancing external agendas at the expense of residents’ basic concerns.

The deteriorating services come amid growing opposition in southern areas to sending local residents to fight alongside Saudi Arabia against Sanaa forces.

Southern politicians and activists have described the situation as a policy of collective punishment carried out by Saudi Arabia and its local allies in the Islah and General People’s Congress parties, following the dissolution of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the detention of its leaders in Riyadh since January.