Angry protest in Abyan demands self-rule, expulsion of coalition
ABYAN, July 10 (YPA) – Thousands of people from Abyan governorate protested, on Thursday, in a demonstration organized by the Supreme Coordination Council of Abyan’s People in the center of Zunjbar, demanding “self-rule” and the expulsion of the coalition from all southern governorates.
Participants in the demonstration denounced the collapse in services and living conditions in Abyan amid the silence of the coalition-affiliated government.
They chanted angry slogans expressing their dissatisfaction with the deterioration of services and the collapse of living conditions, which have exacerbated the suffering of citizens.
They also accused the coalition of practicing a policy of starvation and a war on services after the sacrifices made by the people of the south alongside it since 2015, rejecting the marginalization and exclusion of the people of Abyan in all areas.
In a statement issued after the demonstration, the protesters announced their adherence to their full rights to self-administer the affairs of their governorate, free from regionalism and foreign interference, calling for a broad popular movement in all districts to restore the governorate’s sovereign decision-making.
The statement stressed that the continued collapse of basic services, most notably electricity, water, health, and education, portends a humanitarian disaster and requires a national stance to pressure the relevant local and regional authorities to put an end to the suffering that is devastating the people.
In their statement, the protesters demanded the departure of the Saudi-Emirati coalition from all Yemeni territories, accusing them of being behind the economic crisis and the collapse of basic services in various fields.
The statement called on local authorities to provide basic services and the most basic necessities of a decent life, in addition to removing collection points on main roads, warning against the continued deterioration of the situation in a way that serves foreign agendas that destabilize security and stability in the governorate.
The statement also stressed the need to unify the popular and official efforts of the people of Abyan and work to formulate a national project that restores the governorate’s status and ends years of marginalization and deprivation.