Socotra National Conference calls on state authorities to urgently intervene to stop the robbery of the island’s lands (statement)

The Preparatory Committee for the Socotra National Conference called on Tuesday on the state's highest authorities to urgently intervene to stop the robbery of the island's lands under the control of the UAE-backed Transitional Forces, which are being carried out by "influential forces" and to hold accountable the complicit officials.

This came in a statement issued during a meeting this morning, which addressed a number of issues of interest to local affairs on the island, and a copy of it was received by "Yemeni Youth Net".

The statement called on the local authority to take firm measures to stop the process of encroachment on the lands of Socotra and Abd al-Kuri and the illegal actions therein, which will place it in full responsibility if it continues to be lax and turn a blind eye.

The statement called on "the supreme state authorities to take the measures authorized by the constitution and the law to stop the violations that Socotra is being subjected to by the influential forces, most notably the seizure of areas and lands in various regions in clear violations of the constitution, regulations, laws and relevant state decisions."

The statement also called on the House of Representatives and the Shura Council, with their constitutional and legal powers, to stop and hold accountable the officials complicit in the squandering and tampering with the lands of the Socotra Archipelago, and to form special committees to review and submit reports.

The Preparatory Committee for the Socotra National Conference reminded those institutions of their full responsibility before God, then before the nation and the people, for what results from the abandonment of the Socotra Archipelago and ignoring what is happening.

Earlier this week, the Sons of Mahra and Socotra platform revealed that the First Deputy Governor of Socotra, affiliated with the Transitional Council, “Raed Al-Jaribi,” and the Acting Governor, “Raafat Al-Thaqali,” who resides outside the country, signed a contract to sell half of the area of Socotra Airport extending to the coast for $2.5 million to the Emirati Khalifa Foundation, which is managed in Socotra by the Emirati officer, “Saeed Al-Kaabi.”

The platform indicated that the UAE wants, through its acquisition of this vast area, to establish a military base on the island.

🔸The #Transitional Militia sells state-owned land in #Socotra for $2.5 million to an Emirati institution.

Special sources in Socotra Governorate revealed to the #Sons_of_Mahra_and_Socotra platform a resounding scandal involving the #Transitional_Council militias, as they sold a plot of land at Socotra Airport to the Emirati Khalifa Foundation for an amount of 2.5 million… pic.twitter.com/XSaHQEZBWl

— Platform of the Sons of Mahra and Socotra (@so_ma_soc) November 2, 2024

The platform had also revealed that the Emirati officer "Khalfan Al Mazrouei" had purchased a large plot of land in the (Qasr Dzara) area, in the "Daksam" nature reserve, which contains hundreds of rare dragon's blood trees. It explained that Al Mazrouei had fenced that land and appointed a local representative named "Yahya Badbah Al Soqotri" to supervise it.

On the living and service level, the committee said that it had followed with great concern the difficult conditions that the country in general and the Socotra Archipelago Governorate in particular are going through, with deterioration in most aspects, most notably the living conditions of citizens and the spread of high prices amidst the negligence and indifference of the local authority, whose head has been outside the governorate for a long time now.

The committee pointed out the lack of oil derivatives and gas, which forced citizens to resort to the black market and monopolized materials by a few influential and beneficiaries at the expense of the suffering and pain of the Socotris. In this context, it called on Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed bin Mubarak to activate his directives to the National Oil and Gas Company to provide the Socotra Archipelago’s share of oil derivatives and gas at the official state price and to hold accountable those who failed to deliver Socotra’s allocation of gas, petroleum and diesel as scheduled.

The committee called on the government to increase Yemenia flights to and from the Socotra Archipelago and reduce the prices of airline tickets to suit the citizens’ ability.

Since mid-2020, the Transitional Council forces, with Emirati support, have controlled the Yemeni island located in the Indian Ocean, amid reports of the great influence of the Emirati forces present on the island and their seizure of large areas of the archipelago’s lands and the establishment of military bases for them, in addition to disrupting government service institutions and establishing affiliated institutions.