Angry Protests Cripple Movement in Mukalla, Blocking International Road to Oman
Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
The city of Mukalla in Hadramout governorate (eastern Yemen) witnessed a new escalation of popular protests on Saturday. Angry protesters blocked streets and the international road linking Hadramout with the Sultanate of Oman, preventing the passage of trucks and trailers. They were protesting power outages, deteriorating services, rising fuel prices, and the collapse of the local currency.
Local sources said that the protesters returned to the streets after a few days of relative calm, blocking Al-Dees Street in central Mukalla and preventing the passage of vehicles, as similar protests continued in the cities of Tarim and Seiyun.
Local residents believe that the wave of anger reflects dissatisfaction with the unprecedented rise in fuel prices, which has exacerbated citizens’ daily suffering amid weak government support.
The protesters also accused the governorate’s authority, led by Governor Mabkhout bin Madi, of involvement in corruption cases that have contributed to the worsening economic and service crises.
The sources indicated that the protests directly affected commercial transport, causing a temporary halt in the flow of goods through the vital international road. This threatens to increase pressure on local markets, at a time when the situation in Hadramout remains tense amid demands for urgent reforms to improve services and revive the economy.
