Oil firm clash kills 16 in Yemen

Clashes between Yemeni tribesmen and army personnel protecting a Ukrainian oil company have left 16 people dead, Yemen's defence ministry has said.

Six civilians and 10 soldiers were killed in the fighting in Shabwa province, south-east of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Thursday.

The local tribe had been pressing the Ukrainian company to secure jobs for its members, local media reported.

Many outlying areas of Yemen are prone to lawless behaviour by armed tribes.

Military escort

Oil industry sources told the BBC that the soldiers were protecting staff from the Ukrainian company, Vikoil, at the time of the incident.

They say the Vikoil employees and the army unit - including its commander - had set out to survey an oil line when it was confronted by the tribesmen.

After a heated argument, the unit's commander was shot dead and a gun battle broke out, they said.

Witnesses told AFP that the tribesmen then set fire to a military vehicle and held six soldiers hostage for several hours before finally releasing them.

The governor of Shabwa province and the Yemeni defence minister flew into the oil company's camp on Thursday to offer a military escort to anyone who wanted to be evacuated, the oil industry sources said.

Four western staff who witnessed the gun battle were subsequently taken to Sana'a.

Yemen is one of the world's poorest nations, despite lying in the world's richest oil-producing region. It produces about 350,000 barrels of crude a day, less than half of which is exported.