SANAA, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Fire broke out at two crude oil wells in the central Yemeni province of Marib on Sunday following an attack by tribal armed men, a government security source told Xinhua.
"The two crude wells caught fire after the armed tribal men shot toward the wells following a dispute with the government-run Safir company," the source said by phone on condition of anonymity.
The security forces cordoned off the area as firefighters managed to extinguish fire at one well while trying to control the other's, said the source.
Yemen's oil production in Marib has halted since the civil war erupted between the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Shiite Houthi rebels in late 2014.
The war has pushed the country to the brink of famine and caused one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world.
According to the government data, the oilfields in Marib and the southern provinces of Shabwa and Hadramout produced produced about 127,000 barrels of oil per day in 2014 before the rebels overran much of the country's north including the capital Sanaa.
The government resumed crude oil output of Masila oilfields in Hadramout in 2016 and Shabwa oilfields in early 2018.
