Aden (South24)

A young man died in the capital, Aden, on Tuesday after succumbing to a gunshot wound to the head sustained during protests demanding improved electricity service, while the city witnessed a wave of arrests targeting several protesters in the following hours, as well as gunfire during security forces’ intervention to reopen roads blocked by angry demonstrators.

The developments came as popular protests escalated in Aden on Tuesday and Wednesday over the continued deterioration of electricity services and prolonged power outages, despite repeated government and Saudi announcements about fuel supplies for power plants and the signing of new Saudi-backed agreements to address the crisis.

Local sources said the young man died in an Aden hospital after being shot in the head during protests that broke out at Al-Safina roundabout in Dar Saad district, where demonstrators took to the streets to demand better electricity service. Video footage also showed another person being injured near the Maasheeq area — the seat of the Yemeni government — where protesters gathered overnight.

From Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning, the Crater and Mualla districts witnessed a new wave of protests, during which demonstrators blocked main roads and burned tires to denounce the collapse of services. Security forces intervened to reopen some roads amid the sound of gunfire in Crater.

Videos circulated on Wednesday showed local security forces using live ammunition heavily to disperse protesters and reopen one of the blocked streets, while other clips documented the arrest of several young demonstrators. Local sources told South24 Center that the arrest campaign targeted more than eight protesters in Crater before they were released hours after being detained.

Activists also published video footage showing a security officer beating two protesters with his hands and the butt of his weapon.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Aden Security Committee warned against attempts to derail the peaceful nature of the protests or exploit them to damage public and private property, calling for an end to tire-burning and road blockades.

The committee also said that Al-Aroud Square in Khormaksar is the designated location for peaceful protests and gatherings, away from main streets.

These events came just one day after the Ministry of Electricity announced that additional quantities of diesel and mazut had been secured, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, to ensure the continued operation of power plants.

On Tuesday, Electricity Minister Adnan Al-Kaf also signed an agreement with the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) to supply petroleum derivatives worth $150 million to operate more than 70 power plants.

However, these announcements came at a time when residents of South Yemen’s governorates have yet to see any tangible improvement. Protesters say promises related to supporting the electricity sector have been repeated over the past months without being reflected in grid stability or reduced outage hours.

Last January, Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber announced the signing of an agreement to purchase petroleum derivatives from PetroMasila and operate more than 70 power plants across Yemen’s governorates.

Reuters also quoted a Saudi source on May 27 as saying that the Kingdom would provide petroleum derivatives worth $150 million to cover the needs of electricity plants until the end of 2026, a statement later confirmed by the Saudi ambassador.

In Seiyun, Wadi Hadramout, a protester was killed and another injured the day before yesterday by security forces’ gunfire during protests that erupted earlier this week. The cities of Mukalla, Ghayl Ba Wazir, Fuwah, and Dis Al-Mukalla also witnessed similar protests, including road blockades and tire-burning.

Aden and other Southern governorates are facing a chronic electricity crisis that has worsened with rising summer temperatures, driven by a wide gap between generation capacity and actual demand.