The port of Aden reflects the scars caused by the prolonged war in Yemen

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

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

According to official figures, water supply and electricity to the population were intermittent, which tripled more than 3 million people in search of a safe place.

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

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

Yemen has a long history of civil war, and in 1990 it was divided into northern and southern parts.

Violent conflicts resumed as Iran-backed Houthi rebels began military operations to seize power in 2014, occupying a large part of the territory of the northern inhabitants, including the capital Sanaa.

- Saudi Arabia's intervention -

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

They took control a few months before they were expelled from government forces.

From the temporary position of the government, violence sometimes occurs against the southern separatists until an agreement is reached on the division of power.

The flag of the former South Yemen is still on Aden Street, and the Southern Transition Committee has great influence, and there are checkpoints everywhere.

If civil war and urban clashes are not enough, then Aden is also the target of the bombing claimed by the Islamic State Group.

Along with the performance of Aden, there is a large portrait of former Governor Jaafar Saad who died in 2015 as an alternative vehicle declared by the Jihad organization.

“Aden will not forget you,” I read your message.

- Military scars -

An open-air pit at the airport's arrival terminal reminds visitors of the 2020 missile attack on cabinet members. This incident is a memorial hall where at least 26 people were killed in an accident.

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

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that he suffered a “disaster”, speaking at a meeting of donors who raised less than a third of the money needed by Yemen.

This year, the number of hungry people will increase fivefold to 1610,000.

Lamlas said that the pressure was expensive for the people of Aden.

“Living conditions have affected people psychologically.” Lamlas said. “Aden stands still and comes back to life,” she said.

The people of Aden are trying to get essential goods against the backdrop of uncontrolled inflation.

Ammar Mohamed, a 52-year-old fish seller, is trying to earn a living because few people can live 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 evening, some Yemeni families went to a seaside resort, one of the few recreational areas in the city.

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

She noted that friendship and erasure are encouraged to move on, saying that “wages are low, everything is difficult and trying to live a decent life.”

“There's no internet, no telephone network, no nothing.I need water, gas, gas, but at least I laughed,” he added.

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

Southern Yemen was an independent state where British colonial forces were withdrawn from 1967 to 1990, paving the way for the creation of a one-party communist government.

A new attempt to separate in 1994 caused a short civil war, which ended when the North and Allied militias occupied the South.

“Even if you don't want to join the Houtis in the north (...) Sani has more security, there's electricity, and there's nothing here,” Avier-said.