Unidentified gunmen in Yemen have carried out an attack and sabotaged a crude oil pipeline in southern Yemen’s oil-rich province of Shabwa, a government official said on Monday according to the Media Line. The gunmen used explosives to bomb the main crude pipeline near the Jannah Hunt oil field on Sunday night, which has caused significant damage and resulted in a substantial crude oil spill, said the official anonymously.
The motives behind the attack remain unclear as the gunmen’s identities are yet to be unveiled, the news outlet reported.
The oil pipeline which connects the Jannah Hunt oil field with the crude oil storage facilities in Alam, Jardan district of Yemen, is now inoperative, posing a challenge to the region’s oil distribution network. Security forces and an engineering team were sent to repair the damage, but the gunmen caused an armed confrontation in the oil fields. The Giants Brigades, a militia loyal to the Southern Transitional Council, intervened. These forces have been governing Shabwa since early 2022.
According to the Media Line, Yemen’s oil infrastructure has been vulnerable to repeated attacks by various armed groups, often motivated by service demands or as a means to exert pressure on local authorities for various reasons, including the release of prisoners.
Yemen’s history with oil
Yemen’s history with oil is marked by both promise and challenges, with the sector playing a significant role in the country’s economy and geopolitical landscape over the last 40 years. Yemen discovered its first commercially viable oil reserves in the late 1980s, particularly in the Marib region. This discovery led to increased foreign interest and investment in the Yemeni oil industry.
During the 1990s, Yemen faced economic difficulties exacerbated by declining oil prices and increasing production costs. The government sought to attract foreign investment and expertise to boost the oil sector. However, political instability and security concerns hindered consistent development. In the early 2000s, Yemen’s oil production reached its peak.
The Yemeni government signed various production-sharing agreements with international oil companies to explore and exploit oil reserves. However, the country’s political instability, tribal conflicts, and the rise of insurgent groups like Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) posed serious challenges to oil production and infrastructure. Attacks on pipelines and other facilities disrupted operations and led to periodic declines in oil output.
The Houthi insurgency, which gained momentum in the late 2000s and escalated into a full-scale civil war in 2014, further complicated Yemen’s oil industry. The conflict resulted in the division of the country, with the Houthi-controlled north and the internationally recognized government in the south. This division disrupted oil production and exports, significantly impacting the economy.
International interventions and peace negotiations attempted to bring stability to Yemen, but the situation remained precarious. The country continues to face economic challenges, hunger, and water shortages, and the oil sector remains vulnerable to the complex political and security dynamics that have characterized Yemen’s recent history.
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