Anger in Yemen after UAE troops take over island of Socotra, famed as ‘most alien-looking place on Earth’

Yemen’s government-in-exile slammed the United Arab Emirates’ takeover of Socotra, a remote heritage-listed Yemeni island in the Arabian Sea sometimes described as the “most alien-looking place on Earth.”

The UAE military’s seizure of the seaport and airport on Socotra is an “unjustified” assault on Yemen’s sovereignty, its exiled government said in a statement from Prime Minister Ahmed Bin Dagr’s office. It was a rare criticism of its partner in the fight against Houthi rebels who control large swathes of the country.

The takeover “reflects the disagreement between the legitimate government and our brothers in the UAE, and at its core is a dispute over national sovereignty and who has the right to practise it,” the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates denied the accusation in a statement posted on the official news agency WAM late Sunday.

“The UAE plays a parallel role in the Yemeni island of Socotra to maintain security and stability, support development projects, and help the people of the island,” the ministry said. It added that its military presence “comes within the efforts of the Arab Coalition to support the legitimacy at this critical stage in the history of Yemen.”

The UAE deployed more than 50 soldiers, tanks and other military equipment to the island on April 30 and expelled personnel at the seaport and airport, the Yemeni government said. The takeover ratcheted up tensions between the UAE and Yemen’s government-in-exile, which is based in Saudi Arabia. The UAE supports southern separatists in Yemen who engaged in deadly clashes this year with government forces.

Yemen previously had refrained from criticising the UAE in deference to its participation in the Saudi-led military campaign to restore the internationally recognised government of Yemen President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, which was ousted by Iran-backed Houthi rebels more than three years ago.