Who Is Behind Inflaming the Situation in Yemen's Marib? ( Video )
Three soldiers were killed in Marib amidst the escalation between tribespeople and the local authority after the Yemeni Cabinet decided to raise the price of fuel in the province.
Sheba Intelligence obtained a short video showing the three soldiers who were killed on the international road in a "treacherous manner, "according to a local source.
The source revealed to Sheba Intelligence that the Yemeni army used drones to attack a gathering of what it described as "saboteurs", after they threatened to escalate and target the Safer oil facility.
A statement by those who rejected the price rise of fuel had asked the workers at the Safer facility to leave the facility and stop operating, calling on citizens near the facility to move 20 kilometers away from the facility. This means the Safer facility will be exposed to shelling, causing a conflict in Marib.
The statement of those opposing the fuel price rise used vocabulary, such as the "fatal fuel price rise" and "unjust fuel price rise". Such words are reminiscent of the Houthi statement in 2014, which aroused public opinion and intended to confuse the government before the Houthi takeover of Sanaa.
The spokesperson of the opposition in Marib, Muhammad Miqan, is one of the figures who welcomed the initiative of the Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi with regard to governing Marib. The initiative contained nine points, and the most important of which was the partnership between the Houthis and the government in ruling Marib.
The Military Security Committee in Marib accused those who opposed the fuel price rise of sabotage and committing crimes of murder, blocking roads, and disrupting public interests, the latest of which was the premeditated murder of three members of the armed forces on Monday, inside their vehicle when they were passing on the public road.
The Military Security Committee also revealed these elements had committed the crime of killing a tanker driver and burning a transport truck of a citizen. This coincided with the explosion of the oil pipeline between Raydan and Safer.
The committee added that those elements who carry out these criminal acts and banditry have a history of kidnappings, killings, and assaults on security and military checkpoints. According to the statement, the judiciary in Marib also ordered the arrest of these elements, who also colluded with parties hostile to the security and stability of Marib province.
The statement added that the armed and security forces will carry out their constitutional and legal duties to protect public interests, secure roads, and maintain security and stability.
The member of the Presidential Command Council, Governor of Marib, Major General Sultan Al-Arada, and Chief of the General Staff and Commander of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Saghir Hamoud bin Aziz, met with sheikhs, social figures, and scholars in Marib to discuss presidential directives and government decisions related to the increase in the price of fuel within the framework of the economic reform system.
Al-Arada said, "The local authority is always keen to take into account t the exceptional situation in Marib and does everything in its power to improve the basic services provided to citizens and provide service and development requirements such as education, health, electricity, and others, to reduce the burden on citizens in light of the exceptional circumstances and difficult humanitarian conditions that the country is experiencing."
Bin Aziz said, "Establishing security and stability is a top priority at this stage, and the tribes of Marib and its residents should support the security and military forces to reduce negative phenomena and confront acts of sabotage."
Journalist Ali Aweida, who specializes in Marib affairs and follows the oil and fuel situation in the province daily, accused persons affiliated with Ammar Saleh, former undersecretary of the National Security Service and brother of Presidential Command Council member Tareq Saleh, of inflaming the situation in Marib.
The opposition spokesman in Marib, Muhammad Miqan, published a statement by the National Resistance Office headed by a member of the Presidential Leadership Council, Tareq Saleh. The statement affirmed support for the Marib tribes to "reject the local authority's announcement of the price increase."
The fuel in Marib remains the cheapest in the world even after the government's decision to raise its price. The decision raised the fuel price from 3,500 to 8,000 for 20 liters, which means that 20 liters is about five dollars and twenty cents. The price of one liter is about 26 cents, which is a low price at a global level.
In Saudi Arabia, an oil-rich country, the price of one liter is 62 cents. In Houthi-controlled Sana'a, the price of 20 liters of petrol is 9,500 riyals, which means that the price of twenty liters is about 18 dollars and 44 cents. The price of one liter in Sanaa 92 cents, which means three times its price in Marib.
Local officials in Marib fear that Marib will be a victim of the Saudi-Emirati divide. One of them told Sheba Intelligence, "Our fear is that there is coordination between the UAE-backed forces and the Houthis to destabilize Marib as a retaliation against the allies of Saudi Arabia, that agreed to a peace agreement with the Houthis."
