Emirati company forces Socotra residents to collect firewood after raising gas prices

SOCOTRA, July 19 (YPA) – The Emirati Eastern Triangle Holding Company, the sole operator of the oil derivatives sector in the Socotra Archipelago, suddenly raised the price of domestic gas in the archipelago, causing great suffering for residents and forcing them to resort to alternative cooking methods, most notably collecting firewood and cutting down trees, media sources in Socotra said.

The sources stated that the company raised the price of a 20-liter can of gasoline to 52,000 Yemeni riyals, while the price of a domestic gas cylinder rose to about 63,000 riyals, in one of the highest increases the island has witnessed in recent months.

This increase is part of a series of successive price increases imposed by the company without any oversight, taking advantage of its complete monopoly over the oil derivatives market and its efforts to impose a fait accompli with direct Emirati support.

Environmental activists and those interested in local affairs have warned of the increasing logging operations that directly threaten the island’s rare vegetation, including dragon’s blood and frankincense trees, and other plant species found only in Socotra.