SANA'A: Lieutenant Hassan al-Shaibani told Bikyamasr.com that armed men had attacked men working for French-owned oil company TOTAL in the eastern province of Hadramaut, killing one Yemeni soldier and wounding one French national. TOTAL, which is Yemen's biggest oil producer and exporter, has already suffered many setbacks, since the beginning of the popular uprising last year, having militias targeting its infrastructures on many occasions. As a result, TOTAL has had to suspend its production repeatedly. A car convoy was attacked on its way to the airport in Sayyoun. A French national, whose name was not available at press time, was reportedly shot three times in his thigh, non-fatally. Although many officials are already happy to declare that al-Qaeda is to blame for the attack, local sources warned that the problem could lay elsewhere, the first symptoms of a spreading malaise in the province. “TOTAL has been often associated to corruption allegations over the years and many Yemenis feel the company is simply stealing Yemen's resources, hence several armed groups would be happy to see it go … al-Qaeda might have nothing to do with this attack. The authorities should turn their attentions to local tribes rather,” said al-Shaibani.
