British researcher: UAE has crossed its borders in Yemen’s Socotra

SANAA, Oct. 23 (YPA) – Elizabeth Kendall, a senior researcher at Oxford University in the UK, said that the UAE has crossed its borders on the Yemeni island of Socotra.

In remarks to the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) network, she said that the UAE has sent dozens of its soldiers as well as military equipment to show its presence in the region.

She noted that this was so clear that it was rejected by the Yemeni people and the “Hadi government” that called on them into the Yemen war.

The British researcher added that Saudi Arabia is also likely to be concerned about the UAE’s desire to secede the south (south of the defector) through the transitional council it supports in Aden.

Saudi Arabia wants Yemen to unite to preserve its interests, and the idea of a secession of the south is the last thing Riyadh wants to see, Elizabeth Kendall said.

Elizabeth Kendall confirmed that northern Yemen, which considers its southern border, is witnessing a major expansion of Ansarullah, where it leads a coalition against them, and because of the chaos in the south there been rift in the coalition led by Riyadh and the UAE and I do not think it has been resolved yet.

Yemen’s archipelago is densely populated, consists of four islands with other botanical life which made it a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 2008, a geopolitical attraction.

The Island is emerging on the mainland in Yemen, as two areas largely survived the war, and by 2016 the UAE had begun to occupy or annex Socotra.

But what is certain is that the UAE wants to build a military base on the island or develop its port and take advantage of its strategic maritime position in the Arabian Sea and the has clearly extended through southern Yemen to Socotra.

E.M