UAE’s influence in Socotra sparks outrage after lecturer’s threats against Socotri residents
SOCOTRA, Nov. 11 (YPA) – The United Arab Emirates is seeking to conceal the de facto policy it is imposing on Yemen’s Socotra Archipelago, located east of the Gulf of Aden, in a violation of Yemeni sovereignty and in a bid to change the country’s national identity.
An Emirati lecturer seen in a video circulated by activists on social media went beyond merely reprimanding Socotra residents during a meeting in the UAE, adopting a condescending tone and labeling all those who oppose the Emirati military presence in the archipelago as ‘fools.
The footage has sparked outrage among Yemeni activists after an Emirati lecturer was seen addressing a group of Socotri residents during a meeting held in the UAE.
The unnamed Emirati lecturer encapsulated his warning in words resembling a poetic verse, declaring: ‘O people of Socotra, restrain your fools, for I fear we may grow angry with you.’
Activists said the statement amounted to a direct warning to any Yemenis rejecting foreign military presence or defending Yemeni sovereignty over the islands.
What was most painful, however, was not the Emirati lecturer’s words themselves, but the enthusiastic applause that followed — from those who were, in fact, the first targets of his threats.
The scene reflected the extent of the UAE’s systematic penetration of the island and Socotra’s social fabric.
The UAE’s influence in Socotra has gone beyond the establishment of joint military bases with the United States and Israel. Rather, it extends to shaping distorted awareness and questionable loyalties through various projects and activities aimed at stripping Socotra of its Yemeni identity and reducing the issue of Yemeni sovereignty to ‘foolishness’ in the Emirati lexicon
This comes after the UAE tightening of its noose over Socotra through organizations such as the Emirates Red Crescent and the Khalifa Foundation, initially operating under the banner of humanitarian aid after the 2016–2017 cyclones.
By 2018, Emirati military forces and equipment had been deployed to the islands, and by June 2020, UAE-backed militias took full control of the provincial capital, Hadibu, reportedly with the tacit support of Saudi forces from the “808” brigade stationed nearby.
UAE companies — including Al-Muthalath Al-Sharqi (Eastern Triangle) — have since taken over key economic and service sectors such as fuel, food supplies, and transportation, as well as full management of Hadibu airport and the main port.
In September, nearly 800 local recruits were dismissed from UAE-backed “Special Forces” units after protests erupted against the establishment of a new military site near residential areas.
However, the question that presents itself is, what is the ‘outrage’ the Emirati lecturer in the video is warning about? — and has defending Yemeni identity and homeland become a crime deserving of rebuke and threats, met with applause from Socotra residents, some of whom appeared in Emirati dress?”
@E.Y.M