Heat, Power Cuts Deepen Humanitarian Crisis in Southern Yemen Under Saudi-UAE Occupation

Southern and eastern Yemeni provinces under Saudi-UAE occupation are facing worsening humanitarian conditions as prolonged electricity outages, collapsing public services, and soaring temperatures force thousands of residents to sleep in streets and public spaces to escape the extreme heat.

Power outages in Aden have exceeded 16 hours a day in many districts, leaving only brief periods of electricity supply. The collapse of the power sector has severely disrupted hospitals, water services, telecommunications, and other essential infrastructure, while sewage overflows have raised concerns over a looming public health crisis.

Residents and local activists said the prolonged blackouts, combined with fuel shortages, aging electricity infrastructure, and high temperatures, have made living conditions unbearable. Many families have resorted to sleeping outdoors after indoor temperatures became intolerable, while those unable to afford solar power systems or private generators remain without alternatives.

The deteriorating living conditions have fueled growing public anger and protests across Aden and other occupied southern provinces, including Al-Mukalla, where demonstrators have demanded improvements in basic services and living conditions. Local activists said even women’s demonstrations have taken place as frustration over the worsening humanitarian situation continues to mount.

According to local reports, several elderly people, children, and patients have died in Aden during the recent heatwave amid prolonged electricity cuts, while shortages of cooking gas, fuel, drinking water, and the continued deterioration of public services have further intensified the crisis.

The rights organization Defa’a Foundation for Rights and Freedoms warned against responding to peaceful demonstrations through security measures, stressing that protesters’ demands for basic services and improved living conditions are legitimate. The organization called for dialogue with demonstrators and urged the immediate release of individuals detained during recent protests.

Local sources also reported that two young men, Abdulaziz bin Mandal and Mansour Ahmed bin Habtour, remain in detention at Dar Saad police station without formal charges or referral to judicial authorities. Their families say they have been unable to visit them or obtain information about the legal basis for their continued detention.

Public services and economic conditions in southern Yemen have deteriorated sharply during years of Saudi- and UAE-backed control over the region, with recurring electricity shortages, rising fuel prices, currency depreciation, and insecurity fueling repeated public protests. The humanitarian situation has worsened further during periods of extreme summer heat, with residents and rights groups repeatedly warning that the collapse of essential services poses serious risks to public health and living conditions.