Saudis visit Yemen's Socotra to examine UAE deployment

A delegation of Saudi officials has visited Yemen’s Socotra to directly examine the situation in the Indian Ocean island after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) deployed troops and tanks there against the will of a government supported by Riyadh.

According to Press TV, Saudi General Ahmed Abderrahman al-Shiri led the delegation that arrived in Socotra on Friday, Yemen’s Saba news agency said, adding that the Saudi official attended a meeting with senior Saudi-backed authorities and UAE officials in the island.

Yemenis said the delegation was briefed on the situation in Socotra, especially after the UAE decided to boost its military presence there.

Residents and authorities in Socotra said last Wednesday that the UAE forces had landed in the island along with tanks, armored transport vehicles and heavy equipment.

The deployment came amid widening divisions between forces loyal to the UAE and those supporting the former Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. Both camps are based in southern Yemen and mostly in Aden as the capital Sana’a still remains under the control of the Ansarullah movement.

SS