Barran Press
The Yemeni government has provided reassurance to the residents of Aden, the declared temporary capital of the country, that the electricity service crisis has come to an end. In a statement released by the Fuel Procurement Tenders Committee for Power Generation Stations on Thursday, June 6th, 2024, it was announced that the government, through the Ministry of Finance, has fully paid for the two shipments of diesel fuel as part of corrective government measures.
The committee, in a statement published by the official Yemeni news agency SABA, explained that the payment was made "as part of corrective government measures to provide fuel at a price of $711 per metric ton, instead of the previous price of approximately $1,200 per metric ton."
The government committee reassured the residents of Aden that "the vessel carrying the second shipment of diesel fuel, totaling 59,919 metric tons and designated for electricity fuel, entered the berth at Al-Zeit Oil Port on Tuesday, June 4th. Three thousand tons were unloaded, but pumping was stopped in the evening due to a dispute between the merchant, Abdulrahman Al-Awadi, and the owning company of the shipment. The dispute was resolved, and the vessel resumed unloading the entire shipment yesterday afternoon."
The committee confirmed that the government has fully paid for the first shipment, totaling 33,000 metric tons, at the time, and has also paid 50% of the value of the second shipment, which amounts to around 60,000 metric tons, before the arrival of the vessel at the oil port. It further stated that the remaining 50% of the value of the second shipment was "reinforced by the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, June 4th, before unloading the shipment."
The committee denied the validity of the rumors and allegations circulating on social media regarding the government's failure to pay for the two diesel shipments. It considered these rumors as "aimed at undermining the corrective government measures and diminishing their importance, with the aim of returning to the previous situation where diesel was purchased at around $1,200 per metric ton."
The committee condemned the exploitation of those behind these rumors, given the suffering of citizens in the midst of this suffocating heat, resulting from the delayed arrival of fuel for a few days due to reasons beyond the control of both the supplier and the government.
Over the past few days, the city of Aden, declared as the temporary capital of the country, has experienced almost continuous power outages due to the shutdown of several power generation stations due to "fuel depletion," amidst the significant rise in temperature in the coastal city.
The city witnessed widespread public protests as the power outage reached 12 hours compared to only two hours of electricity supply. Angry protesters blocked several streets in Aden and set tires ablaze in protest against the electricity service interruption.