NYN | News
Cities along the Hadhramaut coast are witnessing a growing wave of protests for the third consecutive day, amid an almost total collapse of basic services—foremost among them electricity, which has been completely cut off in several areas since early Monday. This has sparked unprecedented anger in the oil-rich province.
Local sources reported that all government offices in coastal cities were closed on Tuesday due to the worsening administrative and service crisis. Meanwhile, protests have spread from the city of Mukalla to Ash Shihr, Al-Ghayl, and Shihr, where demonstrators blocked major roads and shut down public facilities in protest of what they described as neglect by both local authorities and the central government.
Member of the Shura Council, Salah Batis, held the local authorities responsible for what he described as a “popular explosion,” saying:
“The people of Hadhramaut are among the most disciplined and calm, but injustice, corruption, and the absence of the state are a disaster. We do not blame the people—we blame the authorities and decision-makers, both local and international.”
In a post on platform X (formerly Twitter), Batis stated that this escalation would not have occurred had there been hope in official solutions, adding:
“To the Presidential Leadership Council, act before it’s too late.”
Observers believe the situation in Hadhramaut signals a dangerous shift in the relationship between the population and the authorities, as citizens increasingly feel abandoned and marginalized in a governorate that is among the richest in resources, yet one of the poorest in terms of services.
Protesters in Mukalla stormed the governorate’s main administrative building on Monday and shut down the city’s port, amid growing calls to dismiss the local authorities and hold them accountable for the accelerating collapse of key sectors, particularly electricity, water, and healthcare.
