The Yemeni province of Socotra is witnessing remarkable developments after military movements in the vicinity of the city center of Hadibu, which is surrounded by the forces of the Transitional Council supported by the Emirates.
A Yemeni government source said to the island that Saudi forces withdrew Thursday from military points around Hadiboh and handed them over to the UAE-backed transitional council.
For his part, the Sheikh of the Sheikhs of the Socotra Archipelago, Issa bin Salem Al-Socotri, confirmed that the Saudi forces are preparing to hand over the city of Hadibu to the forces of the Emirati-backed transitional council.
Sheikh Issa added in a statement to Al-Jazeera that "Hadibo and Socotra's decision has become outside of them, but outside Yemen."
He accused Saudi Arabia and the UAE of exchanging roles, citing that the Saudi leadership pays the salaries of the rebel forces in Socotra in Saudi riyals, he said.
The forces of the Transitional Council cordoned Hadiboh after the withdrawal of the Saudi forces from the military points surrounding them.
The sources pointed out that the transitional council gunmen had created 3 checkpoints at the "Haibik" site, in the absence of the Saudi forces that retreated to the headquarters of the coalition forces on the island.
The sources also indicated that armed groups were brought in from other Yemeni governorates to Socotra last April.
Local sources reported that tension prevails around the city of Hadibu, the center of the Socotra Archipelago Governorate, and a source in the governorate said that preparations are underway to prevent the forces of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council from entering the city.
This, and Yemeni Foreign Minister Mohammed Al-Hadrami said that the legitimacy of the UAE-backed transitional council as one of the parties to the political process in Yemen is related to the extent of its implementation of the Riyadh agreement, considering that it is not legitimate for the council if it continues to approach the insurgency.
During a video meeting with the British Secretary of State for Middle East and North Africa Affairs James Cleverly, Al-Hadrami demanded that the transitional government retract its declaration of what is called self-management.
Funeral of officers
On the other hand, the Yemeni army announced on Thursday the killing of one of its military leaders and 3 officers in battles against Houthi militants.
A statement issued by the army media center said that "today the body of Brigadier General Hamid bin Mansour Al-Qa’afi, an advisor to the commander of joint operations (at the Ministry of Defense), was buried today.
He added that the bodies of Major Abd al-Fattah Abu Ras, Lieutenant Bilal Muhammad Jaber and Lieutenant Salah Hamid were funeral.
He pointed out that the four "fell in battles to complete the liberation of the country from the Houthi militia."
The statement did not mention the time or place of the killing of the four officers, but violent clashes took place during the past days in the Nahham district, east of the capital, Sana'a, between the army and the Houthis, causing casualties on both sides.
Yemen is witnessing an ongoing war between pro-government forces and Houthi militants who control several provinces, including the capital, Sanaa, since 2014.
Since March 2015, a military alliance led by the Saudi neighbor has been supporting pro-government forces against the Iranian-backed Houthis.
This war left the worst humanitarian crisis, as 80% of the Yemeni population is in need of assistance, in a country that suffers from almost complete collapse in all its sectors - especially the health sector - in light of the Corona pandemic.