An oil refinery in the port of Aden in southern Yemen has come under fire by Houthi militiamen, one of a series of attacks in the south of the country on Saturday 27 June 2015. One person was reportedly killed in the attack, and at least one storage tank set on fire. The refinery was formerly capable of processing around 150 000 barrels (24 000 000 liters) of oil per day, but has been inactive since April due to repeated attacks and political instability. However a considerable amount of both oil and gas remain in storage at the site.
Firefighters trying to extinguish a blaze at a refinery in Aden, Yemen, following an attack by Houthi militias on 27 June 2015. Peninsula Qatar.
Hydrocarbons account for about 70% of Yemen's national income and 90% of exports, but the industry has been a frequent victim of the county's ongoing instability, as pipelines and facilities are an obvious target to anyone trying to gain concessions from the central government. This has led to a weakening economy and fuel shortages in the country, which has provoked further instability.
The Houthi's are a Zaidi group that overthrow the government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in 2014, and currently control the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, claiming to be the legitimate government of Yemen. However they have never been capable of controlling the entire country, and are currently fighting a number of other groups, including militias loyal to the previous regime backed by neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
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