Tourists on remote desert island stranded after rift between U.S. allies
NBC News••world
Key Points:
- The United Arab Emirates withdrew its troops from Yemen’s Socotra island last week under Saudi Arabia’s deadline, leaving around 600 tourists stranded as air traffic at the island’s main airport halted amid escalating UAE-Saudi tensions.
- Socotra, controlled by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), has been a tranquil tourist destination with unique flora and strategic importance in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, but recent conflict between UAE-backed separatists and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces has disrupted access.
- The airport on Socotra is no longer under Emirati control, with Yemeni airlines planning flights to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah, signaling a shift in control amid ongoing clashes between the UAE and Saudi Arabia over influence in Yemen
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