Tension grips Yemen's oil-rich Shabwa amid large demonstrations

Aden [Yemen], December 8 (ANI/Xinhua): Tension continued to escalate on Wednesday as large Yemeni demonstrations were staged across the oil-rich southern province of Shabwa in the war-ravaged Arab country, a security official told Xinhua.
"A number of demonstrations staged by local people to condemn the skyrocketing prices and rampant corruption were oppressed, causing tension in Shabwa," the local security source said on condition of anonymity.
The source added that local authorities are planning to deploy troops to "prevent upcoming protests" in the province.
The tensions might lead to violent armed confrontations in the strategic province that includes the country's largest oil and gas fields, the source warned.
Many local observers fear that the ongoing unrest in Shabwa may be a gateway for a new bloody battlefront between the internal factions in the country's turbulent southern regions.
In September, the Houthi rebel militia carried out an all-out military offensive and succeeded in capturing key areas in Shabwa following the withdrawal of pro-government military units from the region.
Yemen has been locked into a civil war since the Houthi militia overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia has been leading the Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthis forced him into exile. (ANI/Xinhua)