UAE militias escalate their aggression in Socotra

The southern Yemeni transitional council of Yemen has escalated its moves on the Yemeni island of Socotra as its elements have attacked the motorcade of a minister in the Yemeni government and the governor of the island in the Arabian Sea.

The members of the so-called Transitional Council attacked the motorcade of the Minister of Fisheries, Fahd Kafain, and the governor of Socotra Ramzi Mahrous, in front of the governmental complex in the city of Qalqansiya.

The attack coincided with the arrival of the representative of the UAE in Socotra Khalfan Al Mazrouei, who had previously held intensive meetings with leaders of the “Transitional Council” and accused bribing known figures and buying territories in the island for the benefit of his country.

This information was confirmed by the adviser of the Yemeni Ministry of Information Mukhtar Rahbi, who said in his page on Twitter that the attack on the minister and governor “was preceded by meetings of the leaders of the so-called Transitional Council in Socotra to arrange acts of violence and spreading chaos to mix the papers in Socotra governorate,” he said.

Yemeni Minister of Youth and Sports Nayef al-Bakri condemned the attack, describing the attackers as: “elements outside the regime and the law.” He added: “The archipelago Socotra will not fall into the mid of the conflicts and disobedience.”

Mahrous was known for standing against the Emirates in Socotra and had warned more than once of Abu Dhabi’s attempt to control the island and arming its people.

Earlier this month, 250 of the Islanders were prevented from leaving to Aden who was going in order to receive training to become the forces of the so-called Transitional Council before Abu Dhabi secretly smuggled them to Aden.

The Yemeni government said on May 8 that the UAE had sent more than 100 separatist troops to Socotra.

The Reuters news agency quoted two Yemen government sources as saying that the UAE had trained in Aden 300 soldiers to send them to Socotra.

Saudi Arabia, which leads the pro-Hadi alliance, was forced to send troops to Socotra to defuse a confrontation between the UAE and Hadi forces.

The UAE has been a key partner in a Saudi-led military alliance in the war on Yemen for more than four years, while international organizations accuse the coalition of committing war crimes against civilians.

The UAE has been in a tense relationship with the Yemeni government and has mobilized thousands of fighters from a separatist southern movement clashed with government forces to push plots to divide Yemen and plunder its wealth and resources.

Socotra is home to some 150,000 inhabitants and has an area of more than 3,000 square kilometers. The UAE faced strong protests in Socotra and other Yemeni areas when it tried to impose a permanent military presence there.

The work of the Emirates has been revealed secretly in its criminal plans to include the island of Socotri on the naturalization of Yemeni families on the island.

A document circulated on the Yemeni media revealed the involvement of the former governor of Socotra and leader of the Southern Transitional Council, Salim al-Sakhtari, of the rulers of the United Arab Emirates in the naturalization of Yemeni families from Socotra.

The document was a letter addressed to the governor of Ajman, Hamid al-Nuaimi, to the nationalize one the Islanders, Abdul Kuri; for carrying out previous operations.

Kuri is currently a member of the Transitional Council calling for the separation of southern Yemen, supported by Abu Dhabi.