Hundreds of foreign tourists are stranded on Yemen’s remote Socotra island. The reason is the worsening situation in Yemen and increasing tension between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), due to which flights were suddenly stopped.
This problem started when UAE, after meeting Saudi Arabia’s deadline last week, yemen withdrew his army from. With this, UAE’s control over the main airport of Socotra also ended. As soon as the flights stopped, about 400 to 600 tourists who had come to celebrate the New Year were unable to leave the island.
“Nobody knows anything, they just want to return home,” Lithuanian tourist Aurelija Krikstaponiene, stranded on the island of Socotra, told Reuters. No one has any information and everyone just wants to return to their normal lives. She was about to return to Abu Dhabi, but due to the circumstances she has to consider the possibility of going via Jeddah.
Money is running out, anxiety is increasing
The situation has become more difficult for many tourists. Matches, a Polish tourist traveling with a group of about 100 people, said, ‘We have limited cash. Most people will run out of money in two-three days. There are neither ATMs nor card machines here. If we run out of money, we will have to sleep in the open and depend on food from the local people.
Poland’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that its citizens are also stranded. According to the ministry, due to deteriorating security situation, a UAE airline has stopped flights. A Western diplomat told Al Jazeera that citizens of Britain, France and America are also present in Socotra. According to local officials, at least 416 people from different countries, including more than 60 Russian citizens, are still stranded on the island.
From a quiet tourist spot to a center of geopolitical conflict
The island of Socotra, largely absent from Yemen’s long and bloody civil war, lies in the Gulf of Aden, more than 300 kilometers from the country’s coast. It is famous for its clean coastlines and unique vegetation, especially the Dragon Blood Tree. But due to its proximity to the Bab-al-Mandab strait, this area is also very important strategically. This is one of the busiest maritime trade routes in the world.
According to Professor Andreas Krieg of King’s College London, Socotra is like an aircraft carrier that never sinks. Controlling it leads to regional security and dominance over trade routes.
Since 2020, the island is ruled by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which demands the creation of a separate country for South Yemen. Recently clashes escalated between the STC and Saudi-backed government forces, leading to the closure of the airfield and grounding of flights to Socotra.
Embassies are looking for evacuation routes
Stranded tourists are now seeking help from their respective embassies but options are limited. According to a Western diplomat, ‘the embassies concerned are contacting the Saudi and Yemeni governments and exploring evacuation options.’ The US State Department has said that it has received information about the cancellation and diversion of flights to and from Socotra. The US reiterated that it advises to avoid travel to Yemen and cannot provide regular consular services there.
Some tourists have been advised to go by boat to Oman and take a flight from there, but many people are considering sea travel as risky.
days are spent waiting
Despite the situation, some tourists are maintaining patience. Romanian tourist Bianca Kus says, ‘I am enjoying every day here as much as I did before, until we realized that we would have to stay longer.’
Officials say that flights can start as soon as the situation improves, but no fixed deadline has been given yet. Until then, these thrill-seeking tourists are caught between a beautiful island and a growing regional conflict.
How did Socotra become a victim of the Saudi-UAE power struggle?
The real reason for the disruption in travel in Socotra saudi arabia There is a growing distance between India and UAE. Both were once close allies in Yemen’s civil war, but now support different factions on the ground. Both countries had intervened against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, but over time their interests diverged. Saudi Arabia supports the internationally recognized government of Yemen. Whereas UAE stands with the southern separatist organization STC
Tensions escalated in recent weeks as the UAE-backed STC expanded its control in southern Yemen. In response, Saudi Arabia carried out air strikes on STC positions. Due to this conflict, UAE withdrew its forces from Yemen, which included Socotra.
As soon as UAE withdrew, control of the airport ended, the security situation deteriorated and flights were stopped. In this way, the impact of the power struggle between Saudi and UAE extended from the battlefield to a quiet tourist island where hundreds of foreign citizens got trapped.
—- End —-
Source link
[ad_3]
