Report: Protests Likely in Aden Through Late August

A specialized international institution expects popular protests to escalate in Aden, and to expand in the southern governorates of the country, in light of the continued deterioration of electricity services and worsening living conditions. It warned of clashes, acts of violence and the use of force that may confront these protests.

“Further protests denouncing living conditions and power outages remain likely in Aden through late August following related demonstrations in recent days,” GardaWorld Crisis24, which specializes in global protective information, said. “Demonstrations occurred in Al-Mansoura, Sheikh Othman, and Khormaksar districts in recent days, with some protesters burning tires and obstructing road traffic. Unconfirmed reports suggest security forces have used live ammunition to disperse previous protests.”

The report pointed out that power outages will likely continue to impact parts of Aden Governorate over the short term. “Related demonstrations cannot be ruled out in the Aden area or any other urban areas in the country experiencing power outages over the coming days,” it added.

It added that transport and business disruptions are possible in areas subject to protest activity. Security forces may attempt to forcibly disperse additional demonstrators in the affected areas.

It stated that Southern Yemen has long been afflicted by frequent power, water, and fuel shortages; however, a long-term depreciation of the Yemeni riyal in Saudi-backed government-held areas has led to rising inflation and worsening social discontent.

It considered that the basic drivers of the crisis in the south include a population largely dependent on foreign aid, subsidized basic commodities such as fuel, a near-total reliance on imported goods, the existence of two rival economic systems, uncontrolled inflation, and a foreign exchange crisis.

Aden is witnessing, for the fifth day in a row, a large-scale protest, condemning the deterioration of services, especially electricity, and the deterioration of living conditions. The security forces used live ammunition to disperse the protests, which resulted in injuries. The security authorities also imposed a curfew, and launched a campaign of prosecution and arrests against a number of protesters.