Yemeni officer forced to collect plastic bottles to support family amid salary crisis in Aden

ADEN, Sept. 01 (YPA) – Footage of a first lieutenant in the Interior Ministry of the Saudi-backed government collecting empty plastic water bottles from the streets of Aden city to feed his family has sparked widespread public outrage across southern Yemen.

The officer turned to collecting recyclable plastic following a severe livelihood crisis and prolonged non-payment of salaries, which have pushed public employees into unprecedented levels of poverty and economic hardship.

Video footage circulating online shows the officer walking through the streets of Aden at night, collecting empty bottles to sell in order to secure basic necessities for his family.

Activists and residents described the situation as an extraordinary sign of the deteriorating living conditions, linking it to ongoing economic decline, deteriorating public services, and unpaid salaries in areas administered by the Saudi-backed government.

Activists have accused the government and its supporters of failing to address the escalating humanitarian and economic crises affecting Aden and adjacent provinces.

YPA