Urgent appeals: 120,000 citizens on brink of disaster in Socotra archipelago

SOCOTRA, May 20 (YPA) – The Youth and Community Committee of the Socotra Archipelago has warned of an imminent disaster threatening 120,000 citizens in the coming weeks, driven by a severe shortage in cooking gas supplies allocated for the 2026 autumn season.

The committee confirmed in a statement that out of 600 tons contracted by the Saudi-aligned local authorities with investor “Abdullah Hassan Al-Saqqaf,” only 375 tons have been delivered. The remaining 225 tons remain stranded at the Islah Party-affiliated Safer facility in Marib due to delays by the supplier, with no deterrent action taken by the relevant authorities.

With the autumn season set to begin within days, changing climate conditions and turbulent seas will completely isolate Socotra from the world by sea and air for four consecutive months.

The gas shortage threatens to force citizens in completely isolated, service-depleted towns and villages to rely on firewood. This looming spike in logging risks destroying the unique ecological and botanical diversity of the Socotra sanctuary, threatening rare and historic trees, most notably the “Dragon’s Blood” and “Frankincense” trees, in flagrant violation of the World Heritage and Biological Diversity conventions.

The committee called for immediate intervention to deliver the remaining 225 tons of cooking gas and to swiftly provide diesel fuel, which has triggered an unprecedented, suffocating crisis in the archipelago.

Furthermore, the committee held the “Presidential Leadership Council,” the Saudi-backed government, the local authority, the investor “Al-Saqqaf,” and the so-called “Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program” fully responsible for their silence and inaction regarding the impending disaster.

YPA