The Houthis set conditions for the re-export of Yemeni gas
English - Thursday 27 October 2022 الساعة 05:04 pm
Aden, NewsYemen:
The Houthi militia - the Iranian arm in Yemen - stipulated its approval to export the produced quantities of liquefied gas from the areas under the control of the internationally recognized government, by directing the revenues to pay the salaries of employees.
Ahmed Daris, appointed as Minister of Oil and Minerals in the Houthi government, which is not recognized internationally, said that "the re-export of liquefied gas is linked to adjusting the selling prices of gas according to international prices at the present time."
He added that "export cannot be resumed without agreeing on a guarantee formula to use its financial returns to calculate the salaries of employees and public services in the country” referring to employees in Houthi-controlled areas and the militants involved in their ranks.
The requirements of the Houthis, to re-export Yemeni gas, came days after they targeted the Radhum port in Shabwa Governorate (southeast of Yemen) with two successive attacks by drones, on the nights of October 18 and 19, 2022.
The Houthi militia claimed the attack by drones on the oil-exporting port of Al-Daba in Hadhramaut governorate last Friday, and a military spokesman for them said that their forces had carried out a warning strike to prevent an oil ship, which they described as "looting crude oil." The escalation drew widespread international and Arab condemnation.
The Houthis require paying the salaries of employees in their areas of control, including fighters in the group's ranks, and sharing oil and gas revenues with the Yemeni government, in order to stop attacks on ships carrying Yemeni crude oil.
On September 24, the head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, announced the readiness of the Yemeni government to resume the export of liquefied gas, adding that the French Total, which runs the largest economic project in Yemen, had fears that it would be targeted by the Houthi militia, with missiles. He referred to the French company's requirement that there be an agreement on security issues related to its concerns.
The Yemen Liquefied Natural Gas Company announced in April 2015 the state of force majeure in the Balhaf facility, which includes a production plant and an export port on the Arabian Sea, as a result of the deteriorating security situation due to the outbreak of the war triggered by the Houthi militia, after it invaded Sanaa by force of arms in September 2014.
