Yemen Monitor / Abyan / Exclusive:
Seven citizens, including a child, sustained various injuries in clashes that erupted between gunmen and the guards of a crowded popular market in Abyan governorate (southern Yemen).
Local sources told “Yemen Monitor” that the clashes broke out this morning between the gunmen and the security guards of the Central Fish and Vegetable Market in the Ja’ar district of Abyan governorate, following a dispute over the collection of fees and the forceful imposition of levies (extortion) on vendors.
The local authority in the Khanfar district of Abyan governorate issued a clarification statement, asserting that the clashes were not due to a market ownership dispute and that the market is currently being managed legally and systematically by the Public Works Department in the district.
The statement clarified that the attack that occurred today was carried out by a well-known gang in Ja’ar with a history of extorting vendors inside the market. It noted that members of the gang opened fire on the security personnel assigned to protect the market, leading to injuries among a number of citizens, vendors, and security personnel.
The local authority added that security forces are working to secure the market and pursue the gang members who fled to an unknown location. A security force also participated in raiding certain places suspected of being used as hideouts by the gunmen.
Abyan governorate, which is under the control of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), is experiencing security chaos and escalating crises in services, which led to demonstrations in the governorate’s capital last month demanding improved services and the payment of salaries. The governorate also witnesses illegal collection checkpoints (tolls/levies) on major roads in the complete absence of official bodies protecting travelers and cargo trucks.
