DUBAI (Dispatches) – The United Arab Emirates has reportedly issued ID cards for a number of residents of the strategic island in Yemen’s Socotra to change their identity.
The pan-Arab al-Araby al-Jadeed media outlet cited several sources on Friday as saying that only the new ID cards are the basis of the UAE’s interaction with Socotra inhabitants.
The sources said the Emirati-issued cards are recognized for trips to Abu Dhabi and give their holders privileges.
A Socotra official said the Emirati body that issued the cards and claims to advocate human rights, has turned into a military, security and intelligence agency that violates Yemen’s national sovereignty under the pretext of humanitarian measures.
The body’s staff are all security officers and members of the UAE army who spy on the Socotra residents and those who travel to the island, he added.
The Socotra official also noted that the people who received the cards were paid by the UAE to publicize them in Socotra, citing Mohammad Salem Ahmed, the director of the island’s ports, as an example.
Yemenis do not have a tab on foreigners entering Socotra as it is the UAE that issues entry and exit permits for all travelers whether businessmen, experts or military personnel.
Home to some 60,000 people, Socotra overlooks the Bab el-Mandab Strait, a main shipping route that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. It has a unique ecosystem and been listed by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site.