Power vacuum in Yemen threatens biodiversity of the one-of-a-kind Socotra archipelago

"But at the end of December, some 600 visitors became stranded there, due to tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, allies that now have conflicting interests in the southern region of Yemen, which has been devastated over the last 10 years by civil war. Discussion of how the foreigners were to be evacuated drew attention to another issue in Socotra that had previously been eclipsed: how its unique and abundant biodiversity,"

"Since 2020, Socotra has found itself under the de facto control of a separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council, funded by the Emirates, which has also contributed financially to the reconstruction of its airport and other infrastructure. These investments, many of them running contrary to UNESCO recommendations, have led indirectly to the arrival of tourist masses and, by extension, earnings."

"This support for the secessionists has left the alliance between the Saudis, who back the internationally recognized government, and the Emiratis to crumble. On December 30, Riyadh attacked a port in the south of the country, where there was reportedly a shipment of weapons that the Emirates was sending to the separatists. After the incident, the Emirates decided to withdraw its troops from the country and wound up imposing an air blockade, which meant that tourists could not leave the archipelago."

Socotra is a paradisaical Yemeni archipelago near the Gulf of Aden, strategically located between the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. At the end of December about 600 visitors became stranded amid tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose conflicting interests fuel control struggles in southern Yemen. The archipelago's unique biodiversity earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2008 and has suffered potentially irreversible aggressions. Since 2020 Socotra has been under de facto control of the Emirates-funded Southern Transitional Council, whose reconstruction projects ran contrary to UNESCO guidance and drove tourism. Saudi attacks and an Emirati air blockade disrupted evacuations.

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