UAE-backed STC register Yemenis from outside Socotra as ‘foreigners’

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) yesterday established an office in Socotra island to register Yemeni workers coming from outside the island as “foreigner” workers, Anadolu news agency reported.

A local source in Socotra told the agency that the UAE-backed STC forces have established an office for Yemeni workers coming to Socotra, adding that “the office records the data of Yemenis who come from outside Socotra, grant them work permits on the island, and treat them as foreigners despite their Yemeni nationality”.

“The Southern Transitional Council has tasked the Security and Military Committee with forming a military squad to protect the office from any protests that might erupt against this flawed and contravening procedure,” the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said.

“The decision is an enhancement of the Emirati ambitions to control the island of Socotra, which has a distinctive strategic location as the meeting point between the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.”