International Environment Observatory Exposes Emirati Military Violations in Socotra

The International Environment Observatory said that the UAE continues to militarize the Yemeni Island archipelago of Socotra, one of the world heritage sites according to the classification of “UNESCO”.

The observatory stated that “there is a lot of evidence of the creeping militarization of the World Heritage site by the UAE.”

It added that the Socotra archipelago is viewed as strategically important, which lies between the Guardavoy Channel and the Arabian Sea, in the middle of the Indian Ocean in close proximity to the main international shipping routes.

This came in a comment of the International Environment Observatory in a tweet published by The Intel Lab account, which specializes in the “Infrastructure as a service” service, on Abu Dhabi’s military movements on Abd al-Kuri Island.

He stated that the new images indicate the possibility of the initial construction of the Emirates airport on the island of Abd al-Kuri, which is part of the Yemeni island of Socotra.

He stressed that two strips in the form of a runway and a potential yard area have been identified and classified since the beginning of 2022.

The Environment Observatory believes that the war in Yemen has had military effects on Socotra, the fight for political control, and the conflict on the mainland has undermined environmental governance and exacerbated pressures on its unique biodiversity.

About two weeks ago, a military cargo ship, belonging to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) occupation, was reported to have arrived at the port of Hulav in the occupied Socotra archipelago.

Sources said that the new cargo carries military equipment and others related to communication and surveillance equipment.

The sources indicated that the cargo was unloaded at the port and transferred directly to an Emirati military base near Socotra Airport in Hadibo.

The United Arab Emirates arrived in Socotra in 2015 and, despite protests from nearly all Yemeni factions, have slowly expanded their influence since. Today, calls to the island are made using the UAE’s country code, and tourists fly from Abu Dhabi without a Yemeni visa — a situation that some argue amounts to annexation.

According to an article in Breaking Defense, the Emiratis have also established a military presence on Socotra. They are considering expanding that presence by putting missile defense sensors on the island, which would support a nascent, US-led alliance made up of the Israeli enemy and several Arab states.

The UAE state, which is implicated in the aggression against Yemen, began preparations for the establishment of a new military camp for its invading forces on the island of Socotra, in conjunction with a campaign to displace the island’s residents.

Local sources indicated that dozens of Emirati officers and a number of Israeli engineers began planning to create a new camp in Hadibo, the administrative center of the island. The sources added that the creation of the new camp comes with the purpose of absorbing the new military batches of the forces of the Saudi-led aggression that have flowed to the island during the recent period.

The sources indicated that the camp will be equipped with modern surveillance and intelligence equipment. An Emirati-Israeli military ship has arrived at the port of Socotra, carrying military equipment.

The Emirati regime continues its aggressive efforts to militarize and occupy the island, as part of a plan to isolate it from the rest of the Yemeni governorates, in conjunction with its continued forcible displacement of the local population on the island.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor had accused the UAE forces and their factions of expelling dozens of families from their homes in the Socotra archipelago, at the beginning of this year.

The evacuation of residents on the island of Abd al-Kuri coincides with the establishment of an Emirati-Israeli military base on the island, with the aim of strengthening control over maritime navigation routes in the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea.