News / Yemen

One killed as protests over weakening economy paralyze Yemen’s southern provinces

Sunday, 02 September 2018 2:35 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 02 September 2018 3:31 PM ]

Protesters block a street with burning tires in Aden, Yemen September 2, 2018. (Reuters)

At least one Yemeni has been killed after a large number of demonstrators took to the streets against mishandling of the deteriorating economic situation by the Saudi-backed administration of former Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, across a number of southern provinces.

The angry demonstrators protesting against Yemen's worsening economic situation and weakening currency blocked major roads and burned tyres in the southern city of Aden on Sunday. They blocked several roads in the cities of Mualla, Sheikh Othman, Al Mansoora, Khormaksar, al-Shab and Brega.

Similar demonstrations were also held in southern Hadhramaut and Dali' provinces.

Soaring prices have put some basic commodities out of reach for many Yemenis, and the Hadi administration has struggled to pay public sector salaries.

Protesters block a street with burning tires after the Yemeni Riyal severely plunges against foreign currencies, in Aden, Yemen, September 2, 2018. (Photo by Reuters)

The Saudi-backed Yemeni authorities have sought to boost liquidity by printing money, but the Yemeni riyal plunged from 250 to the dollar to 350 after the first batch of newly printed notes was rolled out last year. It was trading at 440 to the dollar by the end of last year and crashed to around 500 in January.

One dollar is traded now for 600 riyals, from only 513 riyals in mid-August.

In January, Saudi Arabia intervened to save the local currency by depositing $2 billion, but the move seems to have had a little impact on strengthening the ailing currency.

Protesters block a street with burning tires after the Yemeni riyal severely plunged against foreign currencies, in Aden, Yemen, September 2, 2018. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia invaded the Arab world’s poorest nation in 2015 to bring back the Hadi regime to power. The kingdom has also imposed an all-out blockade on Yemen, which according to the UN is now the scene of the world’s worst man-made crisis.

Some 15,000 Yemenis have been killed and thousands more injured since the onset of the Saudi-led aggression in March 2015.