The continuous talks of the Emirati officials about Socotra island (southern Yemen) has sparked huge anger among Yemenis amid reports that Abu Dhabi is trying to gain control of the island, one of the World Heritage Sites.
Emirati historian Hamad al-Matroushi said in a video shared widely on social media sites: “I assure you that the people of Socotra will be part of the UAE and deserve citizenship without a request”.
This was happened while he was meeting a number of elders and residents of the Socotra loyal to the UAE.
But a well-informed source told “Anatolia news agency” that Matroushi’s speech came when he was hosted by an Emirati businessman whose mother’s origins were in Socotra.
The source, who was present at the meeting, said the offer did not include all the Socotra residents, but those who has root relatives in the UAE.
Since the start of the war in Yemen in early 2015, Socotra is suffering from marginalization and from deterioration in infrastructure and services, despite being one of the most important islands in the world, which occupies an important geopolitical position.
The UAE officials claim that they will build and develop the island and make it one of the most important tourist islands with high services, in an attempt from Abu Dhabi to win the people of Socotra in preparation for the control of the island.
A government source on the island said that Abu Dhabi failed to coup against the governor of Socotra Ramzi Mahrous, who is loyal to the authority of President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi last August.
The source said that hundreds of UAE pros came out in protest at that time, demanding the departure of the governor, But thousands of residents of the island took part in demonstrations standing alongside with the governor.
The crisis ended with the support of the island residents to the governor who foiled the coup.
Two months later, President Abdurbo Mansour Hadi dismissed Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Dagher, who was considered by observers as a strong competitor against the UAE and repeatedly stood against its attempts to control the island.
This change weakened the position of governor Mahrous.
But the UAE returned to the carrot approach and sent Colonel Khalfan Al Mazrouei to the island to meet with the governor to start a new relationship between the local authorities on both sides.
Al Mazrouei also applied for a visit for Mahrous to the UAE, which was rejected by the latter, but after several request from Abu Dhabi he finally traveled to UAE early in the new year accompanied by the Director General of the island police on an official visit, the first since his appointment last year.
“The meeting is going to discuss the work of Khaleefah humanitarian organization, a UAE institution which faces accused by several parties of having an intelligence role on the island with a humanitarian cover.
