The Studies and Economic Media Center (SEMC) is following with grave concern the escalating LPG crisis in several governorates under the control of the Yemen’ IRG, accompanied by long queues outside distribution stations and outlets and growing difficulties faced by thousands of families in obtaining an LPG cylinder to meet their basic daily needs.

The city of Taiz, following the temporary capital Aden in recent days, has witnessed a worsening crisis in access to domestic cooking gas, amid expectations that the crisis could escalate further.

The SEMC believes that the recurrence of the crisis over several months in 2026, and its return after brief periods of relief and emergency interventions, confirms that the problem is not merely a temporary shortage of quantities. Rather, it reflects a structural failure in the gas supply chain, beginning with production in Safer, Marib Governorate, and extending through transportation, dispatch, distribution, and oversight, ultimately affecting citizens’ ability to obtain LPG cylinders at the official price through authorized distributors.

The SEMC emphasizes that LPG is an essential service directly linked to the livelihood security of millions of Yemeni families. Given the extremely difficult humanitarian conditions after eleven years of war, this service must not become a daily source of hardship, forcing citizens to resort to the informal or “black” market to purchase gas at higher prices.

Official data indicate that the gas production facilities in Safer underwent maintenance work that began on June 26, 2026. On August 16, the Yemen Gas Company announced the completion of the maintenance work and the gradual increase in production. However, this has not yet translated into stable gas supplies to the governorates. In addition, the Houthi group had previously decided to stop purchasing LPG supplies from the Yemen’ IRG and instead resorted to importing its needs from abroad.

The crisis is not linked solely to production volumes. The Ministry of Oil and Minerals stated that LPG tankers traveling from Marib had been subjected to 25 tribal blockades since the beginning of the year through August. It also pointed to the growing use of gas as fuel for vehicles and some commercial facilities due to its lower cost compared with other petroleum products.

Field information collected by the SEMC’s monitoring team indicates that the smuggling of LPG to the Horn of Africa and areas under Houthi control is one of the main causes of the current crisis, particularly as the price of a LPG cylinder in those areas reaches three times the price in Yemen IRG-controlled areas, amid the Houthis’ reduced ability to import LPG following the latest war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.

The quantities allocated to the governorates have also been reduced. The allocation for Taiz Governorate, for example, has fallen from 13 tanker trucks to only seven. This is compounded by the gap between the quantities allocated to the governorates and the quantities actually delivered, as well as complaints regarding black-market sales and manipulation of distribution.

The government authorities and the Yemen Gas Company have resorted to emergency measures, including sending additional shipments. However, such measures provide only temporary relief and do not constitute sustainable solutions to the crisis.

Why Does the Crisis Keep Recurring?

The Studies and Economic Media Center (SEMC) believes that the crisis is the result of a combination of structural deficiencies, foremost among them administrative and institutional weaknesses, poor governance, and the absence of a clear strategy for managing stocks and meeting market demand for LPG. This is compounded by the lack of public access to clear data on daily production volumes, the quantities dispatched to each governorate, and the quantities actually reaching stations and distributors. This weakens oversight, creates opportunities for black-market activity, and further undermines public trust in the management of this essential commodity.

The SEMC assesses the crisis as stemming from weak governance and transparency in the management of the sector, shortages and disruptions in supply, whether within production facilities or as a result of road blockages, as well as bottlenecks in transportation and distribution.

The SEMC warns that the continuation of the current situation will place additional burdens on families already facing one of the most difficult livelihood crises. LPG shortages are forcing some households to purchase cylinders through the informal market at higher prices. In Aden and Taiz, for example, citizens are being forced to purchase a 20-kilogram cylinder for YER 20,000 instead of the official price of YER 11,000 (approximately USD 7). This also disproportionately affects women, who bear a significant share of responsibility for managing household needs.

In Sana’a, meanwhile, the price of a gas cylinder is YER 7,000 in the old currency issue, equivalent to approximately USD 13 at the exchange rate prevailing in Houthi-controlled areas.

The crisis is also affecting small and medium-sized businesses, such as bakeries, increasing their operating costs and driving up the prices of some goods and services.

Calls for Urgent Solutions

In light of the above, SEMC calls on the government, the Ministry of Oil and Minerals, the Yemen Gas Company, and local authorities to urgently take the following measures:

1. Immediately implement an emergency plan to ease the crisis in the worst-affected governorates, particularly Taiz and Aden, including increasing allocated quantities, opening additional sales outlets in congested areas, and giving absolute priority to household consumption.
2. Establish a strict disclosure mechanism for daily LPG production, quantities transported to each governorate, and quantities actually delivered, while investigating the diversion of supplies to smuggling networks. Such information should be published regularly and electronically and made accessible to the public.
3. Announce a clear technical plan for stabilizing production and provide regular public updates on the condition of production facilities and any breakdowns or maintenance work that could affect supplies.
4. Increase security preparedness and establish effective arrangements to secure gas transportation routes from Marib, through coordination between the government and local authorities to prevent recurring road blockages and the seizure of tankers. This issue should be treated as a matter of national security and addressed through a sustainable institutional mechanism.
5. Strengthening oversight of filling stations, distributors, and sales outlets, clearly announce the official cylinder price in each governorate, and establish a direct mechanism for citizens to report violations. Publicly announced penalties should be imposed for selling household allocations outside official channels or manipulating prices and quantities.
6. Clearly separate gas allocated for household consumption from LPG used by vehicles and commercial facilities, ensuring that other uses do not compete with households’ essential needs, while establishing an independent and sustainable framework for demand associated with vehicles and commercial activities.
7. Immediately begin establishing a digital gas tracking system from production to the consumer, linking the Safer facilities with transportation networks, governorates, filling stations, and distributors, and providing a periodic dashboard showing quantities produced, dispatched, received, and sold in Yemeni markets.
8. Work toward establishing a strategic emergency reserve and diversifying supply sources, while developing a supply continuity plan that can be activated during maintenance, breakdowns, or road closures, so that any disruption in quantities does not develop into a prolonged crisis across multiple governorates that becomes difficult to contain.

From Emergency Measures to Sustainable Solutions

The Studies and Economic Media Center (SEMC) welcomes the measures announced by the Ministry of Oil to prioritize household consumption, reassess the needs of the governorates, strengthen oversight, secure transportation routes, and work toward establishing a strategic emergency reserve. The SEMC stresses, however, the need to translate these announcements into tangible action through a clear timeline and concrete results that citizens can see in the markets.

The recurring supply bottlenecks witnessed across Yemeni governorates do not represent temporary crises; rather, they reflect fundamental weaknesses in the gas supply chain and an institutionally fragile system that lacks transparency and effective governance. What is required today is urgent institutional reform aimed at stabilizing production, ensuring safe transportation conditions, guaranteeing fair and transparent allocations, establishing an effective tracking and oversight system, and maintaining an emergency reserve.

LPG is a key component of the daily livelihood security of Yemeni families. The continuation of long queues and recurring crises of this nature requires an urgent and rapid government response.

 Issued by the Studies and Economic Media Center (SEMC)

August 22, 2026