A source from the Yemeni government said to the island that the United Arab Emirates is working to destabilize the situation in the Socotra Archipelago, in conjunction with the rebellion of the Southern Transitional Council in Aden and declaring a state of emergency and self-management for the southern governorates.
The source added to the island that the UAE tried to buy the loyalty of 13 officers in the Yemeni army, and employed 270 people trained in Abu Dhabi to carry out a coup against the local authority.
The source assured the island that the UAE has equipped a ship, three boats, two boats and five small helicopters to carry out landing operations and unloading weapons in Socotra.
He explained that the Emirates is taking advantage of a weekly civil trip between Abu Dhabi and Socotra to carry out its operations and transfer its elements to and from the island.
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On the other hand, Iyad Yahya Mubarak, deputy director of Socotra Airport, survived an assassination attempt by gunmen affiliated with the so-called Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council.
A local source said that the gunmen stopped Mubarak while he was leaving his workplace, but he refused to respond to them, so they chased him and shot his car.
The source indicated that this may be due to Mubarak's request to the airport guards to download the slogans of the transitional council, which rebel soldiers raised against the Yemeni government.
In the Tor al-Baha district of Lahj governorate, in southern Yemen, local sources said that the 17th Infantry Brigade forces thwarted an attempt by the UAE-backed security belt gunmen to enter one of the brigade's camps.
The brigade's forces refused to support the transitional council statement, declaring its adherence to the legality of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
The governor of Lahj Ahmed Al-Turki Governorate arrived at the camp to see the situation. He also warned tribal leaders in the Sabiha areas against entering into a tribal conflict fueled by the Transitional Council.
The local authority in Lahj governorate had announced its loyalty to the legitimacy of President Hadi, rejecting the statement of the transitional council, which declared the state of emergency and self-management of the southern governorates.
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For its part, the Yemeni government described on Sunday the announcement of what is known as the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, the self-administration of southern Yemen, as blowing up the efforts made for months to implement the Riyadh agreement and address the repercussions of the armed rebellion that took place at the beginning of last August.
In the statement of the council, the government held the Abu Dhabi government and its leaders fully responsible for the failure to implement the Riyadh agreement, and renewed its call for the Saudi-Emirati alliance to assume its historical responsibilities towards the unity and territorial integrity of Yemen.
It also called on the international community, the United Nations, the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Gulf Cooperation Council to condemn this coup and support the legitimate government to implement Security Council resolutions on Yemen.
The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council announced yesterday the self-management of the areas it controls in the south of the country.
In a statement issued by its president, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, the council declared a general emergency in Aden and the southern governorates, and mandated the council’s forces to implement them from Saturday, and in his statement, Al-Zubaidi accused the Yemeni government of not carrying out its duties.
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In response to this step, the authorities of six southern Yemeni provinces - out of eight provinces - announced their refusal to declare the Southern Transitional Council an autonomy for the south of the country.
The provincial authorities in Hadramawt, Shabwa, Al-Mahra, Abyan, Socotra and Lahj crossed statements in a succession that rejected the Southern Transitional Declaration, and its adherence to loyalty to legitimacy and to Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
In November 2019, Riyadh sponsored an agreement between the government and the "Southern Transitional" after an armed conflict between them in the south a month ago, and set a two-month deadline for implementation, but most of the terms of the agreement - particularly security - have yet to be implemented, amid mutual accusations .
Yemen has been witnessing fierce fighting for the past 6 years between government forces supported by a Saudi-led coalition, and between the Houthi group that has controlled Yemeni provinces - including the capital, Sanaa - since the fall of 2014.