UAE turned Socotra Island into closed colony, treating citizens as “slaves”: Residents

SOCOTRA, Sept. 4 (YPA) – Media sources in the occupied province of Socotra Island on Wednesday revealed the suffering of the island’s population due to abuses of the UAE forces and Emirati officials in the island.

“The UAE occupation forces deal with the island residents as slaves and not as Yemeni citizens and landowners,” citizens in Socotra said. “The Emirati officials on the island violate the rights of citizens and their humanity.”

Southern media quoted remarks from residents of Socotra in which they asserted that Abu Dhabi soldiers and officials are dealing as if the island is under UAE occupation and not Yemeni land.

According to citizens’ statements, quoted by “Socotra Post” website, a UAE official in charge of traveler affairs at the island’s international airport, named Sultan al-Kaabi, has prevented two young men studying in the UAE from traveling to Abu Dhabi for tests.

The two men’s fathers and mothers, according to the website, are of the island inhabitants and both hold the UAE passports, but they were not allowed to travel, and they were taken down from the plane for the third time, although they have their own boarding passes.

According to residents, the UAE occupation authorities at Socotra airport had prevented a woman from traveling with her child, who was allowed to travel alone, which made the mother living in a state of anxiety and fear for her child.

Abu Dhabi has a military base in Socotra, as well as local militias and loyalties in the military and security. In recent weeks, the UAE has transferred new recruits for training in Abu Dhabi.

There have been demonstrations in Socotra in recent months to reject the Emirati presence, which is considered by the island inhabitants an occupation and must be resisted and driven out.

YPA