Afew nights before he was blown up by a car bomb, the governor of Aden was reclining on a purple velvet cushion, elaborating on his dreams for the port city, when a white smartphone started buzzing. He gave it a quick glance, winked and whispered: “It is the president.”
“Yes sir, I tried to call you earlier, I have a problem and I need your help,” he said, explaining that the Yemeni national airline had sold tickets for a flight from Dubai without obtaining landing permissions from the Saudi-led coalition. Since Yemeni militia backed by Saudi airstrikes retook the port city from Houthi rebels in July last year, Aden was officially back in government control but largely dependent on other countries for its security.
Aden – pulverised by air strikes and tank shells – represents the Saudi-backed government’s greatest success in Yemen’s civil war, yet with a victorious coalition of separatist militia, jihadis, Salafists and loyalist army units unravelling, and few sources of employment for the civilian population, the city is fragile. The Yemeni state shows no sign of re-establishing itself despite thereturn of its president from exile.
Aden’s governor, General Jaafar Saad, sat upright, his grin fading into concern as the president spoke. “Yes sir, I understand, but if the passengers show up at the airport and there is no flight they will topple Aden over my head.” He picked up another phone and started calling officials in three countries: UAE army command in Abu Dhabi, Saudi airforce command in Riyadh and the airline director in Cairo.
“I want the airport to operate normally again. If I open the airport, I can bring NGOs, companies and investment into the city, get hotels running again and show the world that Aden is a safe place.”
Life was gradually coming back to Aden. A few cargo ships gingerly waited in the harbour, the markets were crowded and in the dusk hours the wet sands of the Arabian sea glittered with the reflections of women in black abayas and fathers in sarongs paddling with their children. Young men sat in their cars chewing khat, mesmerised by the orange sun sinking in the dark frothy waters.
“Just give me time and money and I will turn this city into the new miracle of the region,” he said. “We have everything. We just need stability.”
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