Al-Mahrah (South24) 

Today, the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Rashad Al-Alimi left Al-Mahra governorate in South Yemen, after a visit that lasted for several days, according to the official news agency, Saba.

The agency released pictures of Al-Alimi at Al-Ghaydah International Airport in Al-Mahra. It did not specify the flight destination but most likely will be heading to the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

During the past few days, Al-Alimi laid the foundation stones for "service and development" projects in Al-Mahra. He also delivered a speech to senior officials in the governorate.

Al-Alimi arrived in Al-Mahra on August 16, after weeks of a similar visit to the city of Mukalla in Hadramout.

Saba agency stated that Al-Alimi "opened development and service projects [..] with a value of 39,341,000,000,000 Yemeni riyals, at the expense of the local authority in Al-Mahra governorate, and with central contributions from the government."

During a meeting of the Security and Military Committee in Al-Mahra, Al-Alimi stressed on countering arms and drug smuggling.

Al-Alimi said that Al-Mahra hosts "hundreds of thousands of displaced people fleeing the Houthis' oppression." He also visited "King Salman Medical City" project in the governorate.

The visit came amid a major energy crisis in the Southern governorates, especially the capital city Aden, which caused tension inside the government and promoted calls for its replacement.

On Monday and Tuesday, angry protesters blocked a number of streets in Sheikh Othman district and other areas in Aden.

Southern politicians and journalists criticized Al-Alimi's visit to Al-Mahra. Some believed that the man was carrying out Saudi Arabia's will as a prelude to the formation of a new regional component in Al-Mahra, similar to the "Hadramout National Council."

Activists circulated a video of a citizen in Al-Mahra tearing down a banner for one of the projects that Al-Alimi opened during the visit. One of the activists said that Al-Alimi "came to strip Al-Mahra from South".

On Saturday, a women's protest took place in the city of Al-Ghaydah, demanding that the people of Al-Mahrah be empowered with their military and security affairs, and denouncing corruption.