Port of Aden reflects the scars of Yemen's prolonged war

Houses with bullet holes, buildings turned into rubble and are portraits of numerous “martyrs”. After seven years of civil war in Yemen, the provisional capital of Aden shows a wound of conflict that shows no signs of an ending.

Aden is currently relatively stable, but the economy of the historic port city has come to its knees.

According to official data, water and electricity services are intermittent for a population that has tripled more than 3 million people who arrive in search of a safe place.

Ahmed Lamlas, Governor of Aden, said that the beginning of the war in 2015 was a “catastrophe” that left his infrastructure “in ruins.”

“We continue to suffer the effects of war,” said Lamlas, who barely escaped from a car bomb attack in October.

Yemen has a long history of civil war, and by 1990 it was divided into North and South.

The brutal conflict began again when Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a military operation to seize power in 2014, occupying a significant part of the northern territories, including the capital Sanaa.

- Saudi intervention -

The following year, after a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened to support an internationally recognized government, the rebels reached the gates of Aden.

They were in control for several months before being expelled by government forces.

In the temporary position of the government, violence sometimes occurs, in which the military confronted the southern separatists before reaching a power-sharing agreement.

The flag of the former South Yemen is still found on Aden Street, where the Southern Transitional Committee has a lot of influence and there are checkpoints everywhere.

If civil wars and urban struggles are not enough, then Aden is also the target of the bombings claimed by the Islamic State Group.

Along the ledge of Aden, there is a large portrait of former Governor Jaafar Saad, who died in a car bomb claimed by a jihadist group in 2015.

“Aden will not forget you.” I read in his message.

- War Scars -

An open hole in the airport's arrival terminal reminds visitors of the missile attack on cabinet members in 2020. This case is a memorial where at least 26 people died in the incident.

Hundreds of thousands of people died directly or indirectly throughout Yemen, and millions moved to war, and 80% of the population needed food aid.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke on Wednesday at a meeting of donors who raised less than a third of the money needed by Yemen, warning that he was exposed to “catastrophes”.

The number of hungry people will increase five times this year to 161,000.

Lamlas told the residents of Aden that the pressure was expensive.

“Living conditions have affected people psychologically,” Lamlas said. “Aden is firm and will come back to life,” he said.

The people of Aden are struggling to obtain essential goods amid uncontrolled inflation.

Ammar Mohamed, a 52-year-old fish seller, struggles to earn a living because few people can buy him in the city.

“Only those who have money can buy fish,” he admitted. “Before the war, everything was cheaper.”

- No Internet or Phone -

On a quiet Friday night, some Yemeni families headed to a seaside resort, which is one of the few recreational areas in the city.

“I have experience working in hotels, makeup and accounting,” said Abeer, a 31-year-old woman who smoked an e-cigarette with Shisha with two friends to AFP.

She pointed out that friendships and jokes encourage her to move forward, saying that “wages are low, things are difficult, and she is struggling to live a decent life.”

“There is no internet, no telephone network, nothing. I need water, gas, gasoline, but at least I laughed.” He added.

Many people in Aden blame the government for the deterioration of the city, and some express their desire to become an independent southern state.

Southern Yemen was an independent state from 1967 until 1990, when British colonial forces were withdrawn and paved the way for the creation of a communist one-party government.

A new attempt to separate in 1994 caused a brief civil war that ended when the Northern Army and Allied militia occupied the South.

“Although we do not want to join Houthis in the north (...) Sana has more security, there is electricity, there is nothing here.” Abeer said.

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