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Feedback 0 / 5</s>The newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi has cited a Yemeni source as saying on conditions of anonymity that officials in Yemen's exiled government plan to turn to the UN Security Council in order to put an end to the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s military presence on Socotra Island.

According to the source, more Yemeni government officials are "thinking of addressing the United Nations to get the UAE out of the Arab alliance."

The source described the UAE's actions as a "flagrant violation of Yemeni sovereignty," adding that Riyadh's pressure hinders the Yemeni government's drive to turn to the UN Security Council.

READ MORE: S Arabia, UAE Reportedly Trying to Soothe Tensions Amid Fresh Fighting in Yemen

The remarks came after Abu Dhabi deployed some 300 soldiers, along with tanks and artillery, to Socotra Island on April 30 without informing the Yemeni government-in-exile of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Bin called the UAE's takeover of Socotra an "unjustified" assault on Yemen's sovereignty, which he said "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 practice it."

The UAE's Foreign Ministry rejected the accusations, saying that Abu Dhabi "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."

READ MORE: Saudi-Led Strikes on Presidential Office in Yemen Kill 6, Injure 30 – Reports

Referring to the troops' deployment to Socotra, the ministry said that it "comes within the efforts of the Arab Coalition to support the legitimacy at this critical stage in the history of Yemen."

However, analysts pointed to the UAE starting to distance itself from Hadi, who is reportedly under house arrest in Riyadh, and carving out an area of influence in southern Yemen.

Socotra Island, located in the Arabian Sea and sometimes referred to as the "Galapagos of the Indian Ocean" and the "most alien-looking place on Earth" is listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site.</s>Popular protests have broken out in the Yemeni island of Socotra as the local people express their rejection of the deployment of forces belonging to the United Arab Emirates.

Socotra, in the Indian Ocean, is located about 350km from the southern coast of Yemen.

Located just off the coast of Somalia with access to major shipping routes, Socotra is also a World Heritage Site known for its unique and pristine environment.

The Emirati soldiers turned up on Thursday, forcing out Yemeni troops and taking over strategic locations including the airport and the seaport.

Al Jazeera's Mohammed Adow said the Emiratis have justified their presence in Socotra on the grounds that they are part of an operation to back forces loyal to exiled Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

"The people who live here say there are no Houthis on the island," he said.

"That means UAE forces have no reason to stay."

Demonstrators have marched through the streets of Socotra's capital Hadibu, rejecting what they describe as UAE intervention in the affairs of the province.

They have also condemned the deployment of UAE forces in the province without coordinating with the legitimate government or seeking its approval.

"These forces are present in Socotra and al-Mahra in numbers that can't be understood," said Abdullah bin Issa al-Aafra, of the Al-Mahra and Socotra People's General Council.

"There are illegitimate troops in these areas. Are there forces that belong to the Houthis to be fought by the coalition here? The answer is a big 'no'."

The Yemeni government said the UAE's military control of Socotra is unjustified, and blames the continuation of a dispute between Hadi loyalists and the UAE for growing public anger.

According to the government, three UAE military planes, tanks and more than 50 soldiers arrived in Socotra and dismissed the local staff there from their duties.

Residents of the island say the flag of the UAE and images of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, often known as MBZ, now adorn official buildings.

Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr, the Yemeni prime minister, has described the UAE troop deployment as "an assault on Yemen's sovereignty".

The UAE and Hadi's government are formally allies in a war against the Houthi rebels.

Relations between the two have soured, however, due to the UAE's expanding influence in southern Yemen, home to a resurgent separatist movement.

The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition that launched a military campaign three years ago to shore up Hadi's presidency.

The UAE's move to exert control over Socotra is seen by many as the latest move by the Gulf state to spread its influence well beyond its borders.</s>The United Arab Emirates has denied allegations of overreaching in Yemen after it deployed forces and seized the airport on Yemen’s island of Socotra, listed by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site.

In the first official UAE comment, its foreign ministry said on Sunday that any military presence in Yemen is aimed at shoring up the country’s internationally recognized government.

The ministry said the UAE has “no interests in Yemen” other than that.

The UAE is a major pillar in a Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Shiite rebels known as Houthis under the banner of restoring the authority of the Yemeni president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The Emiratis, however, have carved out a zone of influence in southern Yemen over the past two years, setting up prisons and militias.</s>The United Arab Emirates has deployed its troops and seized key positions on the Indian Ocean island of Socotra.

There is public outrage on the island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean.

A UNESCO world heritage site, Socotra is Yemeni territory, whose residents do not want it to become part of the conflict in Yemen.

But on Thursday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) deployed troops to the island, seizing strategic positions.

This angered the Yemeni government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which says it wasn't informed of the move.

The UAE is part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in the country and is a former ally of Hadi, but splits have recently emerged.

What is driving Abu Dhabi's expansion in the region?

Andreas Krieg - assistant professor at the defence studies department at King's College London

Catherine Shakdam - Middle East commentator and researcher at Al Bayan Centre for Strategic Studies</s>CAIRO — Yemen's formal alliance with the UAE may be coming to an end after the latter deployed forces to a Yemeni island, without prior consultation with Yemen's exiled government, a senior Yemeni official said Saturday.

Over the past few days, the UAE has deployed some 300 soldiers, along with tanks and artillery, to the island of Socotra, which is recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site, heightening tensions between the two allies.

"The government had no idea whatsoever," the official said.

The UAE is a major pillar in a Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in northern Yemen, under the banner of restoring the authority of self-exiled Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The Emiratis, however, have carved out a zone of influence in southern Yemen over the past two years, setting up prisons and militias.

Emirati Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said that the UAE has historic and family ties to Socotra. He posted his remarks on his official Twitter account on Friday, adding that amid the war in Yemen, "We will support (Socorta's residents), in stability, health care, education, and living (conditions)."

"The government is considering sending a letter to the United Nations demanding the dismissal of the Emiratis from the Yemeni intervention," the official told The Associated Press.

It was the Yemeni government that initially called on the U.N. to allow the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in Yemen in March 2015. U.N. Security Council resolution 2216, rooted in a letter sent by Hadi pleading for military intervention to protect Yemen from the Shiite rebel Houthis, gave legitimacy to the coalition's intervention.

Officials at Hadi's office said that the proposal was not welcomed by the president, who fears upsetting the Saudis. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

The UAE's supporters in Yemen accuse the Islah party - the country's Muslim Brotherhood branch - of fueling media and public campaigns against the Emiratis, their stated foe. The Islah party is a major Hadi ally.

In Socotra, residents and activists said that the UAE is building a factory and a prison, recruiting the island's residents, and creating a new militia. It has been buying land and clearing it for construction. Some residents and activists fear damage to the island's environment, which has previously seen only limited development.

The official said that the Emiratis have taken over all the vital institutions in the island, including the airport, the ports, the government's headquarters, and kicked out the Yemeni forces. Direct flights have also been set up from Abu Dhabi to Socotra.

Saudi Arabia has sent a committee to mediate between the two sides, according to the official. However, the UAE deployed additional forces while the committee was on the ground, he added.

Asked if the government considers the UAE's actions a form of occupation, he said: "What else can we call this?"

Officials told the AP that the UAE has been eyeing Socotra, and other islands like Mayoun (Perim) in Bab al-Mandab, as well as ports along Yemen's southern and western coastline because of their strategic locations for both military and business interests. The UAE has bases in Assab in Eritrea and Somaliland (Horn of Africa). It has also set up small armies in southern Yemeni cities, with forces answering only to the UAE and not the internationally recognized government.

In one incident, Yemen transportation minister Saleh al-Jabwani was barred from entering a port in the southern province of Shabwa.

Socotra is located in the Gulf of Aden and has a unique ecosystem. Much of its plant life can't be found anywhere else in the world, most notably the strange Dragon Blood tree. The island has been listed by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site.</s>SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates (Reuters) - Wooden dhows crammed with second-hand Japanese cars have been sailing unhindered into Yemeni ports for the past three years despite rigid wartime controls on imports of aid and other vital supplies.

Like many Yemeni traders, Ali al-Mahry jumped at this chance to turn a profit by supplying customers at home with cars bought cheaply at auction in the United Arab Emirates.

A Saudi-led military coalition, of which the UAE is part, has been battling Houthi rebels since 2015 with the aim of restoring the Yemeni government in exile.

The coalition has imposed controls to deny arms to the Houthis, fighters aligned with Iran who control the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah, the largest port. The measures have choked off supplies of fuel, food and medicine to Yemen, where millions face starvation and disease.

Yet coalition forces appear to have turned a blind eye to the dhows that regularly carry cars from Port Khaled in the emirate of Sharjah to a small dock at As Shihr, a port in Yemen’s Hadramout province controlled by UAE-backed forces.

“I make this journey around 30 times a year,” Mahry said, surrounded by 180 cars taking up every corner of a dhow he has chartered for the voyage. “I sometimes also ship food and other items, but they require different permits.”

The cars have become a nice earner for traders in both the UAE and Yemen.

Yemeni dealers gather daily at Dubai’s Al-Aweer Auto Market to bid as a big screen flashes prices for Japanese cars, with as many as 80 sold in a day at one auction house.

Once sold, the automobiles are taken to Port Khaled, where up to 200 vehicles are stacked onto each dhow.

The vessels are searched at Port Khaled and on arrival at As Shihr but have not been required to obtain permits or pay customs duties for the past three years, in contrast to the obstacles faced by ships delivering other supplies to Yemeni ports.

“The coalition would ask us for the cars’ papers and clear them here,” said Saleh al-Ali, head of the port at As Shihr. “For the past three years there has been no need to apply for a permit from Riyadh.”

In March, however, the coalition changed the rules, requiring permits to be obtained from Saudi Arabia, according to Ali. He said he was told the new measures were introduced for security reasons.

A coalition spokesman did not reply to requests for comment on why the car-laden dhows have been exempted for so long.

Port officials said the dhows may have been simply an exception to the rule and in any case it had taken time to put the car trade on a more formal footing.

Mustafa al-Jaffrey, who used to send cars to Yemen overland through Oman before the war, said he had doubled his profits by using the sea route.

“It is much cheaper for me to buy and ship,” he said, adding that Japanese cars in particular were a good business for him.

“The Japanese drive their cars only for about 50,000 km (30,000 miles) before they sell them and buy new ones. That’s way less than the 150,000 km (90,000 miles) or more that people in the Gulf drive before they put a car up for sale, so the quality is better as well.”

In Japan, strict safety and pollution regulations force many drivers to sell their cars after a few years, so there are plenty of good quality vehicles available.

Such cars can sell for as little as $1,000 at online auctions in Japan. A Toyota can be bought by traders for around $1,900 in Dubai and sell in Yemen for more than twice that.

“I buy a Japanese used car from an auction in Japan, sometimes an online auction, and then ship it here,” said Hammad Ali, marketing manager at Jan Japan (Cars 4 U), the top re-exporter at Al-Aweer in Dubai.

Ali has long imported such cars for re-export to places like Somalia and Afghanistan as many other countries that drive on the right, including the UAE, do not allow cars from Japan, where people drive on the left, on safety concerns.

“It is a safety thing ... so most of them were going to Afghanistan and Somalia. Then three years ago, Yemen opened up,” he said.

Prior to 2015 in Yemen, where people drive on the right, cars with their steering wheel on the “wrong” side were banned for safety reasons, but road safety has been another casualty of a war that has killed more than 10,000 people.

As fighting continues, the Houthis control the north of Yemen, while coalition forces have seized the southern port of Aden and made gains along the southwest coast along the Red Sea.

“Yemen is a big country and people need to move around. The cars are going into the south, where it is relatively safe, and from there onwards to the rest of the country,” Mahdy al-Mahry, another dhow operator and car dealer, said.

“People can buy one of these cars and use them to earn money for their families. Others just buy them as a cheap and safe means of transport.”

Not everyone has profited from the trade. The Yemeni government, which has a presence in Aden while the president is in exile in Saudi Arabia, has missed out on customs dues, although it now plans to regulate the car trade.

“While it has largely been unregulated for the past three years, we are slowly coming to it and we will organize the trade as the government prepares to impose a fee,” said Salem Ali Busamir, head of the Arabian Sea Ports Corporation of Yemen. He did not say when this would happen or how much the fee would be.

Traders however seem confident the new measures will not disrupt their business unduly.

“This trade employs hundreds at the port now. They can’t ruin that, even if they impose a small tax,” said Ghaleb al-Mahry, who has a car showroom in As Shihr.
Yemeni political parties, including the General People's Congress, Al-Islah and the Southern Movement issue a joint statement calling on the United Arab Emirates to immediately withdraw its troops from Socotra in the Arabian Sea.