Angry protests erupted in Hadramout against deteriorating service conditions

HADRAMOUT, July 29 (YPA) – An angry protest rallies were staged on Monday in Ash Shihr district and the city of Mukalla, the capital of the oil-rich Hadramout province, which is under the control of Emirati-funded armed factions.

In the rallies, the demonstrators blocked several main streets and roads of the city using stones and burned damaged car tires, in protest against power outages and deteriorating living and service conditions.

The participants also cut off the international highway linking Hadramout to the Sultanate of Oman, via Al Mahrah, to tankers and trucks.

The demonstration came amid mounting anger over the widespread collapse of services, including electricity outages that have exceeded 17 hours a day, without any solutions being offered by the coalition-backed Aden government.

The protesters demanded the dismissal of the coalition-affiliated governor, Mabkhout bin Madi, who has been in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, since last April, amid accusations of plundering the province’s financial resources.

The protest led to a complete traffic jam, with Emirati patrols pursuing the youth participating in the demonstration into residential neighborhoods.

This followed limited protests in Mukalla in recent days. However, the Electricity Corporation’s announcement that power plants in Mukalla and the coastal districts would shut down starting on Monday due to the daily fuel shortage from PetroMasila since last Friday sparked anger among residents, who demanded accountability for the corrupt individuals who are tampering with Hadramout’s oil and mineral wealth.