Officials at the Oil Ministry have confirmed on Tuesday that disgruntled armed tribesmen from the south-eastern province of Hadhramawt yet again chose to target state oil facilities to express their resentment and anger toward Sana’a, putting a heavy strain on the oil industry.
Tribal officials explained that the attack, the second in less than 24 hours targeted a pipeline located in the Wadi Urf area. The explosion was of such violence that it generated a ball of fire visible several kilometres away.
This new attack forced engineers to halt all activities.
Countless acts of sabotage over the past two years have cost Yemen hundreds of millions of dollars in unscheduled repairs and loss in revenues, putting a heavy strain on an already ailing economy. Almost entirely dependent on its oil industry to finance its national budget and generate enough foreign currencies to replenish its reserves, Yemen’s oil industry is a matter of national security; a reality militants and dissidents have tried to exploit.
Hadhramawt tribesmen have demanded that the government retreat its troops from the area. Sana’a sent military reinforcement to the province last month when tribesmen sought to revenge the death of a local tribal chief by targeting state institutions and interests in Hadhramawt.
On Monday, Canada's Calvalley Petroleum which operates in the area confirmed that while recent disruptions in Hadramawt impacted its crude shipments it did weight on its production capacity so far.