These Emirati heathens have even placed their Satanic Royals all over the beautiful Island.
Yemeni officials and islanders told Verdict that UAE developers are laying the groundwork to begin building hotels and apartments on the paradise island, known for its rare fauna and flora.
The picturesque island — untouched by Yemen’s three-year civil war — has delighted intrepid travellers for years with its sparkling clear blue waters, flat lands populated by mini cows, and forests of frankincense and rare dragon blood trees, which are known for their medicinal properties.
A former Yemen Government minister who spoke to Verdict on the condition of anonymity said:
What is happening is the opportunistic activities of few corrupt individuals, supported by Sultan bin Zayed [UAE politician and member of the royal family] who was given a free hand in Socotra affairs. This is particularly true for any land-grabbing and crazy investment.
He said that he recently saw copies of land sale deeds by Socotrans to the UAE officer in charge of the island, Abu Mobarak al-Mazroai.
Speaking to Verdict from exile, he said these deals were made without “legal approvals” from the central Yemeni Government.
He said that a deal was struck between the governments of Yemen and the UAE in 2016 for Socotra island to become a tourist destination after the war.
As part of the deal, the Yemen Tourism Ministry planned to set up a company to run tourism investments in the island, in partnership with business people from members of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), UAE state news agency WAM reported in 2016.
He added that that UAE settlers on the island have introduced evasive species “such as thousands of ornamental trees and fruit trees in their soils with no quarantine procedure — something that was banned to protect the unique island ecosystem”.
Tensions on the island, located right on a major oil and shipping channel, have increased this week after Yemeni state news reported that a Saudi delegation had travelled to the island to meet Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher to discuss the UAE deploying troops without permission.
The deputy governor for environment and development in Socotra, Abduljameel Mohammed, also spoke of his despair at watching Emirati companies begin the first phases of tourist infrastructure development that will see one of the last unspoiled islands on Earth turned into a flashy Dubai-style resort.
In an interview last year, he said that contractors from the UAE have bought and earmarked land, then started work on a five-star hotel project to the detriment of the island’s unique biodiversity
Yemeni officials and islanders told Verdict that UAE developers are laying the groundwork to begin building hotels and apartments on the paradise island, known for its rare fauna and flora.
The picturesque island — untouched by Yemen’s three-year civil war — has delighted intrepid travellers for years with its sparkling clear blue waters, flat lands populated by mini cows, and forests of frankincense and rare dragon blood trees, which are known for their medicinal properties.
A former Yemen Government minister who spoke to Verdict on the condition of anonymity said:
What is happening is the opportunistic activities of few corrupt individuals, supported by Sultan bin Zayed [UAE politician and member of the royal family] who was given a free hand in Socotra affairs. This is particularly true for any land-grabbing and crazy investment.
He said that he recently saw copies of land sale deeds by Socotrans to the UAE officer in charge of the island, Abu Mobarak al-Mazroai.
Speaking to Verdict from exile, he said these deals were made without “legal approvals” from the central Yemeni Government.
He said that a deal was struck between the governments of Yemen and the UAE in 2016 for Socotra island to become a tourist destination after the war.
As part of the deal, the Yemen Tourism Ministry planned to set up a company to run tourism investments in the island, in partnership with business people from members of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), UAE state news agency WAM reported in 2016.
He added that that UAE settlers on the island have introduced evasive species “such as thousands of ornamental trees and fruit trees in their soils with no quarantine procedure — something that was banned to protect the unique island ecosystem”.
Tensions on the island, located right on a major oil and shipping channel, have increased this week after Yemeni state news reported that a Saudi delegation had travelled to the island to meet Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher to discuss the UAE deploying troops without permission.
The deputy governor for environment and development in Socotra, Abduljameel Mohammed, also spoke of his despair at watching Emirati companies begin the first phases of tourist infrastructure development that will see one of the last unspoiled islands on Earth turned into a flashy Dubai-style resort.
In an interview last year, he said that contractors from the UAE have bought and earmarked land, then started work on a five-star hotel project to the detriment of the island’s unique biodiversity
