Lahij Governor Attributes Poor Services in Southern Provinces to US-Saudi Aggression, Mercenaries

Governor of Lahij, Ahmed Jarib, has confirmed that the Saudi-Emirati occupation and their mercenaries are responsible for the various crises affecting the residents of the southern provinces due to their destruction of national resources in those areas.

In a statement, Governor Jarib pointed out that the coalition has been imposing collective punishment on the residents of the occupied southern provinces for years, using service disruptions as a weapon against millions of people.

He stated that the unprecedented electricity crisis in the history of Aden is a result of the disabling and destruction of the Aden refineries, converting them into oil storage tanks for black market traders.

Governor Jarib highlighted that these crises are part of the occupation’s strategy, following destructive policies implemented through their agents and mercenaries.

He held the pro-aggression government fully responsible for the current state of affairs in Aden and other occupied southern provinces, which are suffering from widespread electricity issues, security breakdowns, and service disruptions. He emphasized that the resources of the southern provinces are sufficient to improve all services, especially electricity.

Governor Jarib also confirmed that the political leadership in Sana’a has exempted the transportation of fuel from all oil facilities in Shabwa, Hadhramaut, and Marib for the benefit of power plants in Aden. They have allowed the use of any quantities needed to cover the requirements of those plants, while maintaining the ban on crude oil smuggling abroad. The resumption of oil exports is contingent upon the opposing party’s acceptance of allocating oil and gas revenues for paying salaries and improving public services across all provinces without exception.

In 2015, Saudi and Emirati forces entered the city of Aden from Bir Ali, citing the need to repel the “Houthi-Iranian” intervention and secure international navigation. It didn’t take long after the arrival of these forces for the new British-style experiment to take shape.

This comes amid escalating anger and popular discontent among citizens in the occupied southern and eastern provinces due to the collapse of the electricity system in many of these provinces. The pro-aggression government has failed to provide the necessary fuel to operate power plants and save citizens from the intense summer heat.

The Saudi-Emirati ambition in Yemen faced a southern awakening, which began on the island of Socotra when thousands protested against turning the island into a dependency of Abu Dhabi. Then came the uprising of the people of Al-Mahra in July, demanding sovereignty over the province and rejecting foreign control over the city. The protests expanded to reach the city of Aden, where the UAE has deployed over thirty thousand local military personnel loyal to them.

Hundreds took to the streets demanding the departure of the “coalition” forces from the south, a situation that analysts have compared to the protests in the 1960s against British presence, which laid the foundation for armed struggle in the south.