Where there's smoke...

The article focuses on the competition in between R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Rothmans International PLC for cigarette market share in Yemen. Rothmans has long had an effective monopoly on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco in Yemen. Reynolds gained a toehold in Yemen, signing a contract to supply the state tobacco company with up to 3,000 tons of a year of raw leaf at a price 11% below Rothman's. R.J. Reynolds also planned to start producing its own cigarettes there to compete with Rothmans' brands. Rothmans' two representatives on the board of the state tobacco company engineered the ouster of its chairman, and his successor then suspended the contract.