Two soldiers and a civilian were killed in clashes between armed tribesmen and pro-government forces in south-eastern Shabwa province, local dignitaries told The National on Thursday.
Fighting broke out when a guard from an oil production company shot and killed one of dozens of local Balharith tribe members who were protesting to demand their unpaid wages, said Mohammed Al Bereiki, a retired army colonel.
"The tribesmen then attacked outposts controlled by the Al Islah party [Muslim brotherhood in Yemen] who guard the Jannah Hunt oil company operating in Wadi Jannah in Asilan district of north-west Shabwa," Mr Al Bereiki said.
The tribesmen killed two armed men late on Wednesday and injured a dozen. They also took control of posts near the company headquarters, he said.
Islah forces called for reinforcements on Thursday from the neighbouring province of Marib to restore their control over the company.
The fighting was underpinned by tensions between pro-government forces, which took control of the province after expelling the government Elite Forces in August 2019, and the tribes in the oil-rich province.
The armed forces linked to the Al Islah party took control of the oil-producing areas in Shabwa in June.
These paramilitary forces are comprised of fighters from northern provinces, most of which are under control of the Houthi rebels, said Mohammed Al Ghaithy, the Southern Transitional Council’s deputy director of foreign affairs.
Similar clashes repeatedly occur between these forces and the tribes in Shabwa. The tribes are demanding that Al Islah-linked forces pull out from the province and that the government's local Elite Forces are redeployed.
Shabwa and Hadramawt provinces produced most of Yemen's oil, the main source of revenue for the Arab world's poorest country, before the civil war disrupted production.
Shabwa resumed exports of crude in August 2018, but production is still under threat because of the security situation in the war-torn country.
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Age: 19
Profession: medical student at UAE university
Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)
Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
