Demonstrations in Yemen’s eastern Hadramout province have intensified for a third straight day, as residents protest prolonged electricity blackouts during extreme summer heat.
The protests have centered in Mukalla, the provincial capital, where people blocked roads, set up tents, and chanted against the Aden-based internationally recognized government.
The electricity crisis has left residents without power for more than 19 hours each day.
According to electricity officials, the outages are due to severe fuel shortages, made worse by limited diesel and petroleum imports, financial shortfalls, and ongoing corruption.
Fuel is now being delivered weekly instead of daily by the supplier PetroMasila, and several power plants remain shut.
On Tuesday, demonstrators burned tires and blocked access to the city’s port.
Later in the day, they surrounded the offices of the Public Corporation of Electricity in Hadramout’s coastal area, further escalating tensions.
A report by SARI Global, which analyzes geopolitical risks, warned that the situation in Mukalla may worsen, describing it as a serious turning point in Yemen’s service crisis.
The group also pointed to disrupted fuel transport routes as a contributing factor.
Hadramout’s tribal association issued a statement blaming the crisis on long-standing neglect and internal corruption.
Residents have faced regular shortages of water, healthcare, education, and basic public services, with the value of the local currency continuing to fall.
Amid the unrest, journalist Abduljabar Bajabeer, head of TV3ad channel, was arrested Monday.
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned his detention, calling it part of a broader effort to silence media voices in regions controlled by the recognized government.
The backdrop to the crisis remains Yemen’s decade-long civil war, which has splintered the country.
While the Houthis hold the north, much of the south is under the control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, which seeks southern independence and maintains its own armed forces.