09 Sep 2024 | 11:22 AM UTC
Yemen: Protests likely in Mukalla through mid-September
Further protests denouncing deteriorating living conditions likely in Mukalla, Yemen, through mid-September. Avoid demonstrations.
Further protests denouncing living conditions and power outages remain likely in Mukalla through mid-September following related demonstrations in recent days. Security forces in Mukalla have reportedly been deployed in an effort to dissuade further unrest.
Power outages will likely continue to impact parts of Hadramawt Governorate over the short term. Related demonstrations cannot be ruled out in the Mukalla area or any other urban areas in the country experiencing power outages over the coming days. Transport and business disruptions are possible in areas subject to protest activity. Security forces may attempt to forcibly disperse additional demonstrators in the affected areas.
Avoid all protests due to the possibility of clashes. Monitor local media for details concerning protest activity; organizers may not announce plans in advance. Do not attempt to bypass roadblocks; wait for local authorities to remove them. Heed instructions from authorities. Avoid travel at night.
Southern Yemen has long been afflicted by frequent power, water, and fuel shortages; however, a long-term depreciation of the Yemeni riyal in government-held areas has led to rising inflation and worsening social discontent. The basic drivers of the crisis in the south include a population largely dependent on foreign aid, subsidized basic commodities such as fuel, a near-total reliance on imported goods, the existence of two rival economic systems, uncontrolled inflation, and a foreign exchange crisis. The UN estimates over 80 percent of Yemen's population of 28 million is reliant on some form of humanitarian assistance. Widespread underdevelopment, in addition to the large-scale destruction of infrastructure as a result of the country's civil war, has only exacerbated the south’s socio-economic crisis.
