Just as Yemen coalition government seems to have put out one fire in its northern province of Sa’ada by negotiating a truce in between two warring religious factions: the Houthis and the Salafis, another crisis, just as threatening to the country’ stability sprout out from Shabwa, Yemen’s oil rich province.
Officials confirmed on Monday that armed men, believed to be linked to al-Qaeda, launched an attack against Shabwa’s main oil pipeline in al-Saeed area. “Saboteurs on Monday blew up an oil pipeline in southern Yemen that pumps crude oil to an export terminal on the Gulf of Aden,” a security official told reporters earlier today.
The powerful bomb explosion ripped through Shabwa's oil pipeline forcing a halt in all activities. The pipeline transports about 10,000 barrels of crude per day to Belhaf export terminal (located in the Gulf of Aden) where they are then shipped off.
"Armed terrorists of the al Qaeda group placed a roadside bomb under the pipeline in al-Saed region in Shabwa's eastern outskirts. The huge explosion caused a leak in the pipeline," a government source explained.
Yemen which is heavily relying on its oil industry to sustain its national budget and manage a steady inflow of foreign currencies has been plagued by such acts of sabotage. A disruption of the oil flow essentially equates to a loss in revenue, which automatically puts a strain on the country economy and thus thwarts any hope for a fast recovery.
It has been estimated that such attacks have cost Yemen since 2011 over $1 billion.