A former Yemeni foreign minister said that France is preparing to secure the Balhaf facility in Yemen's unstable Shabwa province for the export of gas.
The Balhaf gas facility in Yemen's Shabwa province in June 2010
The key Yemeni liquefied natural gas facility at Balhaf is being used as a base by UAE troops.
France could be gearing up to help protect a gas facility in Yemen to allow for exports in a bid to cut Europe's reliance on Russia, according to an ex-Yemeni foreign minister.
Abubaker Alqirbi tweeted in Arabic on Tuesday that "information is coming in" about "preparations being made to export gas from the Balhaf facility" and that this "could be the reason for events in Shabwa" and moves made by France.
Yemeni government forces recently clashed with UAE-backed southern separatist forces in gas-rich Shabwa province, where Balhaf is located, last week, leading to dozens of civilian and combatant casualties.
Poster Comment:
Yemenis are starving to death. The US blocked food shipments which is an act of war. And France is stealing their LNG. Israel is stealing natural gas from the Palestinians and from Lebanon.