The start of oil and gas wells burning in northeastern Yemen

On Monday, forces loyal to the coalition began setting oil and gas wells on fire in Marib, the alliance’s final foothold in northern Yemen. This might hamper negotiations between Riyadh and Sana’a that are being led by Muscat.

Exclusive – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

Earlier today, armed gunmen attacked the most vital oil wells and gas pipelines and set them on fire in the heavily guarded Safer area.

In spite of attempts by the Islah media, the de facto authority in the city, to stoke rumors of the presence of “unknown persons” behind this act, video clips circulated by activists in Marib showed the flames engulfing the wells from beneath the pumping pipes, indicating an intentional act from within.

The burning of oil and gas wells coincided with the return of Ali Mohsen, the person with the most sway in the oil province, to the forefront of the scene with a tweet on his official social media page, in which he hinted at his rejection of the current negotiations and spoke about the achievements of September, the most prominent of which is oil.

The timing of the fire is seen as a message from parties such as Al-Islah and Ali Mohsen, who expressed their resentment at being excluded from the negotiations and hinted at a potential escalation and alliances to abort any future agreements.

Burning oil and gas wells would put an end to negotiations with Saudi Arabia at their beginning, especially since these revenues are among the most crucial issues up for discussion between the two parties. Moreover, these revenues would benefit the salaries of employees throughout the republic rather than the pockets of party and military leaders and tribal alliances.