NYN | News
Amid escalating tensions in Shabwa Governorate, the Al-Laqmosh tribes this afternoon blocked the main road linking Aden and Shabwa once again, following the failure of mediation efforts with local authorities.
According to local sources, gas and electricity fuel tankers were prevented from passing, as had happened two days earlier, in an escalatory protest move aimed at pressuring local authorities to release Sheikh Saleh Mansour Dabi Al-Qumayshi, the head of the Peaceful Dignity Movement.
The Al-Laqmosh tribes had extended their ultimatum to the local authorities by an additional 24 hours on Monday evening, after the expiration of the previous deadline without any response. This came after the arrest of Sheikh Al-Qumayshi and several of his companions on Saturday evening in the Al-Khabar area of Habban District, following a protest demanding improvement of basic services in the region.
Earlier this week, the Dignity Movement issued a statement announcing the resumption of its field activities and plans to organize escalatory marches to demand the rights of the area’s residents, who, according to the statement, have suffered from marginalization and exclusion for decades. The statement also hinted at the possibility of declaring Balhaf an independent governorate if local authorities continue to ignore the tribes’ demands.
