Armed tribal groups loyal to local factions were deployed Saturday around major oil facilities in Yemen’s eastern Hadramout province, security officials said, raising tensions in one of the country’s key energy regions, Xinhua news agency reported.
“Armed tribal groups have deployed near a number of oil facilities and have begun a siege of Petromasila’s Sector 14 oil facility in Hadramaut,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
“Tensions are extremely high. Armed and masked gunmen have taken up positions around the facility, blocking all access routes and increasing the risk of conflict with the Yemeni government’s elite Hadrami forces,” the official said.
“Informed sources suggest that some tribal factions are secretly collaborating with al-Qaeda-linked elements in the Arabian Peninsula to destabilize Hadramawt and weaken pro-government forces,” the source added.
The siege of the oil facility followed a declaration late Thursday that tribal leaders gave full authority to the fighters to “resist by all means” to protect Hadramawt and its natural resources.
MNA