Minister of Local Administration Ali Al-Yazidi has said that recent conflicts occurred in Abyan between the army and Ansar Al-Sharia, an Al-Qaeda linked group, led to destruction of infrastructure in Abyan completely.
In remarks to 26 September, he said teams of the Local Administration Ministry along with field teams are currently working to assess damages occurred in Abyan at all levels.
He affirmed that landmines planted by Ansar Al-Shariah still hinder the work of the teams and recover essential services, singling out that state officials visited Abyan assess damages and steps that should be first achieved to reconstruct Abyan.
Al-Yazidi affirmed that the teams seeks to help the displaced persons to return to their homes and renovate schools before the beginning of the next school year.
He further said that technical teams mandated to landmines are to complete their tasks, indicating that tents will be temporarily provided to some displaced.
Approximately 200.000 persons were displaced from Abyan due to conflicts between the Yemeni army and Ansar Al-Sharia. They were forced to live in a number of schools and other government facilities in the neighboring governorates of Aden and Lahj.
They suffer of deteriorated humanitarian situations in refugee camps in Aden and Lahj after they left their homes and villages more than a year ago, particularly as the foodstuffs provided by the World Food Program (WFP) and other human rights organizations are not enough to alleviate their suffers.
President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi had repeatedly vowed to enable displaced people to return to their homes.