UAE constructs suspicious facilities in “Ditouh” Reserve on Socotra Island

SOCOTRA, Jan. 17 (YPA) – Recent photos have shown the presence of Emirati construction activities in the “Ditouh Nature Reserve,” located in the Qalansiyah district in Yemen’s Socotra Archipelago province, east of the Gulf of Aden.

These activities included the establishment of guard gates at the entrance to the reserve and four large facilities inside it likely intended as restaurants and entertainment facilities that are believed to serve immoral goals and are linked to the Emirati delegate Khalfan Al-Mazrouei.

Media sources reported that Mubarak Salem Abdhan, a local linked to the UAE intelligence, is supervising these constructions, and he bribed the reserve’s civil society to facilitate the implementation of the project.

The same sources explained that Abdhan works as a contractor under the supervision of Al-Mazrouei, who is responsible for Emirati activities in Socotra, which are carried out under the cover of “humanitarian work” through the Khalifa Foundation.

 Reports indicated that UAE interventions include building private rooms and facilities, surrounding the reserve with a security fence, installing surveillance cameras, and providing tight security to control entry and exit.

These actions occur with no response from Yemeni authorities allied with the Saudi-led coalition.

Such actions are a violation of local and international laws that prevent the establishment of projects within natural reserves because of the damage they cause to the environment and the ecological balance. 

YPA