Gunmen Hijack Passenger Bus in Yemen’s Abyan Province

Abyan – Armed men hijacked a passenger bus on in the Umsara area of Lawder district, Abyan province, sparking widespread concern over security along Yemen’s vital international highway.

According to an official complaint filed by the driver, Niyaz Nashwan Ali Abdu Al‑Fattah, a group led by a man identified as Nasser Ali Mujhar intercepted the white Toyota Hiace bus at around 6 p.m., opened fire to intimidate passengers including women and children and forced them to disembark at gunpoint before seizing the vehicle, which carried temporary license plate number 48982 Aden.

The driver reported that the same group had previously attacked him in an incident that ended in a traffic accident, killing three of the assailants. 

Despite assisting them at the time, he said he was later assaulted and compelled through mediation to pay five million rials after his bus was impounded. He expressed shock at the repeat attack and urged Abyan’s police chief to swiftly apprehend the perpetrators and recover the vehicle.

The incident came just one day after another traveler from Hadramout was assaulted in Ahwar district by gunmen described by authorities as “outlaws,” raising alarm over repeated attacks on passengers along the strategic route.

In response, Abyan’s local authorities condemned the hijacking, stressing that such criminal acts do not represent the people of the province. They instructed security and military forces to pursue and arrest all those involved, pledging that the international highway will remain safe for travelers and that the state will not tolerate lawlessness.