لحج نيوز - Manal Abdulkarim -
Events have accelerated since UAE officially announced a few days back that it would operate three flights a week between UAE and Socotra, the Yemeni island under de facto UAE rule. This is just a reflection of the growing role of UAE in Yemen day after day. Sources have revealed that the Saudi-led military action against Houthi rebels in Yemen has been exploited by Abu Dhabi to implement its plan of occupation of some Yemeni islands with the help of Hani bin Brik and Idaroos Az-Zubaidi, the main proxies of Abu Dhabi in the south of Yemen.

Socotra is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, near the Gulf of Aden, opposite the Horn of Africa, 350 kilometers south of the Arabian Peninsula. The archipelago consists of the main island of Socotra, Darsah, Samhah and Abdul Kuri in addition to two other rocky islands. It is of great strategic importance because of its unique location and in the ocean.

UAE did not only play a key role in the military intervention in Yemen, but also requested assistance from the United States of America. Eventually, the US military sent a number of marines to Yemen to provide intelligence to UAE’s campaign under the pretext of fighting Al-Qaeda.

According to experts in Yemeni affairs, UAE was looking for war spoils and saw the unique gem of Socotra as a much sought prize for its military intervention in Yemen. Experts have pointed out that this island is endowed with a special natural landscape, indeed one of the most wonderful landscapes on earth, and a unique and rich biological diversity unparalleled anywhere else in the world. They called for a Yemeni and global stand to stop UAE’s suspicious deal, urging every free media person to participate in a campaign to prevent UAE’s devastation of Yemen’s natural resources.

The differences between Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the UAE have disclosed more details about UAE’s secretive movements of on the Yemeni island of Socotra: e.g. granting the UAE nationality to Socotrans, establishment of military bases in preparation for accession of the island to UAE authority, and establishment of a telecommunications project of the UAE Telecom. During this month, rare trees and stones were moved out of Socotra, particularly the dragon-blood tree, gum tree, and wild basil, in addition to many types of rare stones from the island. According to sources, these natural assets are put inside giant containers, and loaded on ships brought for this purpose.

The residents of the island demanded the government to make a move to save the island and protect it from this systematic looting and destruction. They also appealed to UNESCO to intervene urgently to protect the island.

The arrival of a UAE military delegation to Socotra coincided with the arrival of a delegation of leaders of the Southern Movement from Ad-Dali’ governorate, who were recently allowed to hold a big conference. Sources said that after UAE opened the door to the residents of Socotra to travel to UAE using UAE passports, and with the three flights a week between Abu Dhabi and Socotra, UAE started to bring other southern leaders to UAE through the island to convene with them in Abu Dhabi