Internet restored in Yemen after 4-day outage

SANAA, Yemen

Internet service was restored in Yemen early Tuesday after a four-day outage, according to local residents.

The Arab country has experienced mass internet disruptions after Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted a telecommunications facility in the port city of Hudaydah.

The Houthi group controls internet and telecommunication services in all Yemeni provinces, including those under the control of the legitimate government.

The state-run telecom company is located in the capital Sanaa, while the marine cable that supplies internet to other provinces is located in Hudaydah. Both Sanaa and Hudaydah are controlled by Houthi rebels.

The Saudi-led coalition has ramped up attacks on Yemen in recent days in the wake of a Houthi attack that killed three people in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation. Yemen is now home to one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% of Yemenis, or about 30 million people, needing humanitarian assistance and protection. Over 13 million are in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar