The mercenary head of the Riyadh Council, Rashad al-Alimi, returned to Aden yesterday aboard a Saudi military plane. This came amidst the escalating collapse of living conditions and services in the city, and the near-total absence of electricity, which is cut off for nearly 20 hours a day, exacerbating the suffering of citizens as Eid al-Adha approaches.
The mercenary al-Alimi arrived at Aden International Airport accompanied by the occupation-appointed prime minister, Salem bin Brik, amid mounting popular anger in the occupied governorates, which are witnessing a comprehensive deterioration in various basic services, most notably electricity and water, and a dramatic rise in food prices.
Social media platforms erupted with angry reactions, with southern activists calling for popular demonstrations to surround Ma’ashiq Palace, the residence of al-Alimi and his government, demanding his immediate departure from the city.
Others suggested cutting off electricity to Ma’ashiq Palace, even for a few hours, as a symbolic step to convey the message of the suffering of the citizens.
Activists accused Al-Alimi of implementing a “systematic starvation” policy against the people of Aden and other occupied governorates, serving foreign agendas aimed at depriving citizens of their most basic legitimate rights, most notably electricity, water, and food.
A number of activists also expressed their solidarity with the women participating in the demonstrations, who were subjected to campaigns of threats and intimidation by members of the UAE-backed Transitional Council militias.
They held the occupying militias responsible for the safety of the female activists, stressing that repression would not deter them from demanding their legitimate rights.
In the same context, Ali Mubarak Mahamed, spokesman for the sit-in committee against foreign occupation in Al Mahrah Governorate, emphasized that the return of Al-Alimi and his prime minister offers no hope for citizens.
He added in a post on the “X” platform that Al-Alimi is facilitating the spread of armed militias outside the official framework, funded by occupying countries.
and working to undermine security and stability and spread systematic chaos.
Mahamed pointed out that the presence of the occupation forces has nothing to do with the so-called “restoration of the state,” but rather aims to fragment the nation and plunder its resources in stages, referring to the Saudi-sponsored “Homeland Shield” militias in Al Mahrah.
For his part, Fadl Al-Jaadi, a member of the Presidency of the Transitional Council militias, warned of an imminent social explosion in the city of Aden and the occupied areas, as a result of the pro-occupation government’s failure to fulfill its duties. Al-Jaadi stated that corruption and favoritism have reached shameful levels, and that citizens are now forced to take protest measures that amount to a “revolution.”
He praised the women’s movement in Aden, appreciating women’s outright rejection of the deteriorating situation in the city, in light of the local currency losing its purchasing power and the worsening living crises.
