...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
i island of Socotra, a local source reported on Friday, in a move believed to be a response to recent protests in the archipelago.
The source confirmed that the military team, which arrived from Aden on a Yemeni aircraft, is from Dhalea and Yaf'aa areas, and its mission is to train pro-UAE gangs on the island.
This move comes as Socotra witnesses widespread protests by hundreds of local recruits who demonstrated in the city of Hadibo after their salaries and food rations were abruptly cut.
The source noted that the UAE had previously recruited and trained some 800 locals from the island, raising questions about the need for additional training teams. This development also coincides with Saudi Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...'s appointment of a new commander for its forces in Socotra, following protests that targeted the Emirati leadership.
It is worth noting that in 2020, the UAE established a joint military base with Israeli entity on the island of Abd al-Kuri, along with intelligence and surveillance centers, and has controlled all essential services on the archipelago through its affiliated companies.