French Total Accuses the Coalition of Controlling its Oil Facilities in Yemen
The French company, Total, said on Thursday that the aggression coalition is controlling its oil facilities in eastern Yemen despite its efforts to return to the operation of the gas project in Balhaf. The company explained that foreign employees left Yemen in 2015 and did not return. Total said Yemen LNG informed the company in April 2017 that Hadi’s government had taken control of some of the Balhaf facilities for coalition forces.
Total’s expatriate employees left Yemen in 2015. In April 2017, Yemen LNG informed Total that the U.N.-recognized government of Yemen had requisitioned some of the Balhaf facilities, which were de facto unused, for the coalition forces. Yemen LNG complied with the order by Hadi’s government. They are fenced off and have their own separate entrances. Responsibility for managing the requisitioned areas has been transferred in full to the coalition forces. Total does not have any specific information on how the coalition is using the requisitioned areas. The French company said that Since 2015, neither Yemen LNG nor Total have received any profit, compensation or advantage of any kind related to this situation.
Total and the other foreign shareholders have continued to finance Yemen LNG at a loss, to preserve the site and continue supplying power and water to local communities. The Balhaf plant has therefore remained in good condition. Total considers that the site cannot resume operations safely in light of the security and political situation at both the national and local levels. The damage to the Yemen LNG pipeline in June 2019 is evidence of that. Total obviously hopes that it will be possible in the future to restart LNG production, once again contributing to the revenues of the Republic of Yemen.
The French newspaper Le Monde and three international organizations revealed on Thursday that the UAE established at the French facility in Balhaf a military base containing a secret prison in which the UAE practices torture against political detainees.