CAIRO: Residents in Yemen's ciy of Aden told Bikyamasr.com that for the past week the southern city has been virtually paralyzed by a strike organized by seaport workers as they demand an increase in pay and an end to corruption. Determined to pressure the government into taking their grievances seriously, the workers blocked all oil tankers from leaving and entering the sea-port, leaving the city without a drop of fuel. As a result, schools, hospitals and all other government institutions remained close with residents forced to rely on alternative mode of transportation. Rather than negotiate an end to the strike through dialogue, the government choose today to send its tanks and armored vehicles to Aden's port, enraging much of the population as the move from Sana'a is being perceived as yet another form of attack on southern sovereignty and further proof that if indeed there was a new man sitting on the presidential seat, the methods used were the same, repression and intimidation by way of arms. With the prize of petrol in the black market well exceeded $3 per liter, economists are warning that Aden would not be able to weather this new blow to its economy, stressing that it could lead to widespread civil unrest. Moreover, security sources reported that further clashes opposing southern secessionist militants and the armed forces took place in the district of al-Mualla, with residents warning that the growing unrest bore chilling similarities to 1994 civil war. “It very much started in the same way, a handful of clashes here and there and then suddenly the whole region was ablaze. Things are not going well,” said Suhail Ali Abdullah a nurse. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/qkf84 Tags: Aden, Oil, Strike, Yemen Section: Latest News, Yemen
