Tampering in Socotra: Anger in Yemen following UAE advisor close to MBZ visit to the island

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A visit by Mohammed Bin Zayed's (MBZ) advisor Abdul-Khaleq Abdullah to the Yemeni Socotra island on March 8 has triggered anger amongst Yemenis from all walks of life, especially after tweeting that he allegedly spoke with some citizens from Socotra who told him they wish Socotra become "the eighth Emirate of UAE."

Ahmed, a Yemeni citizen from Socotra, who asked not to publish his last name for fears of reprisal, told Al Mayadeen English that Socotra is occupied by the UAE and its backed militias from the Southern Transitional Council (STC), adding that "there is an increase in the number of foreign tourists in the last four months."

"They are tourists, but in the end, they turn out to be Israeli experts," Ahmed told Al-Mayadeen English. "So far, there are no clear Israeli bases in Socotra, but sites similar to military bases."

Al Mayadeen English sent the governor of Socotra, Hashem Al-Socotri, an interview request to comment on the senior UAE's provocative visit to his island, but he has not responded as of the time of publishing this.

UAE-Israeli spy bases in Socotra

Abdul-Khaleq Abdullah’s visit to the island that lasted for six days has spotlighted the UAE’s cooperation with Israel to establish secret intelligence bases on Socotra Island following the two countries’ normalization.

JForum, the official site of the Jewish and French-speaking community, reported following the normalization of the UAE with "Israel" that the two regimes were working silently on a plan to establish spy bases on Socotra, a strategic island in the Arabian Sea that is currently under the control of the Emirates. 

The JForum report stressed that a delegation of Israeli and Emirati intelligence officers visited Socotra and examined various locations for establishing the planned intelligence base, confirming that the purpose of the spy station is to collect intelligence across the region, particularly from the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The report pointed out that "Tel Aviv’s" surveillance centers would monitor the actions of Ansar Allah resistance movement in Yemen and Iranian naval movements in the region, as well as examine sea and air traffic in the southern part of the Red Sea.

Hadi visited Israel twice: Katz

On March 5, Amos Harel, senior military correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, published his interview with former Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz who revealed for the first time that outgoing Yemeni President Hadi visited "Israel" twice since the Saudi invasion of Yemen started in March 2015.

"Unfortunately, we do not have reliable allies in Yemen. The current Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi has close relations with us, but this person does not have the power to command the war against the Houthis," said Katz.

"At the beginning of the Yemeni war, he [Hadi] traveled to Tel Aviv with the mediation of Jordan and Sisi. Good agreements were made on this trip, but the problem is Abd-Rabbu Mansour is not a warrior. If you leave the victorious army to him, he will definitely fail. Of course, Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have a suitable alternative in Yemen, so supporting him is still on our agenda.

"Battle of Al-Hudaydah was the result of Abd-Rabbu Mansour’s second visit to Tel Aviv, where we were able to establish good cohesion between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Abd-Rabbu Mansour, but unfortunately this war did not lead to the expected results," Katz noted.

There has been no denial or confirmation from Hadi to Katz’s comment, but the silence surrounding this controversial announcement could be understood that Hadi had given "Israel" and UAE a green light to build spy bases in Socotra to monitor the region.

Separatists' and Pro Hadi Officials Reactions to call of annexing Socotra to UAE

“O stranger, be polite,” tweeted Ahmed Al-Saleh, pro-UAE-backed separatist STC activist, referring to a Yemeni proverb that advises a foreigner to be polite once in another country’s territory. “You are supposed to respect the country that hosts you.”

“If there was a respected State and institutions [in Yemen], you would not have dared to say such words,” added Al-Saleh, pointing to Abdullah’s tweet that noted people of Socotra want their Island to be the eighth Emirate of UAE.

In June 2020, UAE-backed separatists from STC seized Socotra island in the Arabian Sea after deposing its Saudi-appointed governor Ramzi Mahrous. It's estimated that Socotra has a population of 60,000 with a quarter of those inhabitants living in Hadibo, a coastal town in northern Socotra.

"The mercenaries are prohibited from returning to their homeland, but their masters arrive to roam inside Yemen," said in a tweet Yaser Al-Yamani, a senior leader at General People's Congress Party, the party of late President Ali Saleh.

'Declaration of war'

“Coinciding with the visit of goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie to Aden, Abdul-Khaleq Abdullah, the ambassador of malicious intentions is visiting Socotra,” said Ben Safef Al-Socotri, in a Facebook post.

As for the National Salvation Government in the capital, Sanaa, Dr. Hussein Hazeb, Minister of Higher Education, tweeted that the visit of Abdullah to Socotra is “a declaration of war.”

"Don't trust those who encouraged you to visit the island. America will leave you alone as it left others, because America knows more than you that the invaders are buried in Yemen," added Hazeb. 

"Abdul-Khaleq Abdullah has entered Socotra Governorate without permission or a legal justification and a Yemeni visa," said Hazeb.

He went on to add, "Abdullah's visit confirms that there is neither a Hadi state nor legitimacy in the occupied territories," urging Hadi forces and separatists to "revolt against this situation to prove that you are still alive."

The UAE's Abdullah tweeted on March 14 he is concluding his visit to Socotra, but it's not clear yet what is next for Socotra following his controversial visit, as one video emerging for UAE leaders meeting with people from Socotra and one leader told them that "people of Socotra will be part of UAE and that they deserve UAE nationality without even requesting that".