Saudi-UAE power struggle leaves hundreds of tourists stranded on Yemeni island

Hundreds of tourists remain stranded on the remote Yemeni island of Socotra Island after flights were abruptly suspended amid escalating clashes on Yemen’s mainland, a fallout of growing tensions between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

The disruption began after the UAE withdrew its troops from Yemen last week under a Saudi-imposed deadline, a move that also ended Emirati control over Socotra’s main airport. With air traffic halted, around 400 to 600 tourists who had flown in, many for New Year celebrations, found themselves unable to leave.

Tourists stand outside a hotel in the Socotra Island on January 5. (Reuters photo)

“Nobody has any information and everyone just wants to go back to their normal lives,” said Aurelija Krikstaponiene, a Lithuanian tourist stranded on the island, in comments to Reuters. She had planned to return to Abu Dhabi but may now have to travel via Jeddah as flight routes are reworked.

CASH RUNNING OUT, UNCERTAINTY GROWING

For many visitors, the uncertainty is compounded by practical concerns.

“We have a limited amount of cash, and most people will run out in two or three days,” Maciej, a Polish tourist travelling with a group of about 100 others, told Reuters. “There are no payment terminals or ATMs here... When it runs out, we’ll be sleeping rough and relying on food aid from local residents.”

Poland’s foreign ministry confirmed that Polish nationals are among those stranded, saying flights operated by an Emirati airline were suspended due to the worsening security situation.

A Western diplomat told Al Jazeera that British, French and American citizens are also on the island, while a local official said at least 416 people of various nationalities, including more than 60 Russians, remain stuck.

FROM TRANQUIL HAVEN TO GEOPOLITICAL HOTSPOT

Long insulated from Yemen’s brutal civil war, Socotra lies more than 300 km off the country’s coast in the Gulf of Aden and is famed for its pristine beaches and unique flora, including the iconic dragon blood tree.

Socotra, the largest island in an eponymous archipelago, lies 150 miles off the Horn of Africa, and even farther from mainland Yemen. (Getty Images)

Its strategic location near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, has also made it geopolitically valuable.

“Socotra functions like an unsinkable aircraft carrier,” said Andreas Krieg, associate professor at King’s College London, was quoted as saying by Reuters. He further explained that control over the island offers leverage over regional security and trade routes.

The island has been run since 2020 by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks autonomy, and eventual independence, or southern Yemen. Recent fighting between STC forces and Saudi-backed government troops on the mainland has led to airspace closures and the grounding of flights to Socotra.

EMBASSIES SEEK EVACUATION OPTIONS

Tourists have begun reaching out to their embassies for help, though options remain limited. “Their relevant embassies have reached out to the Saudi and Yemeni governments to seek their evacuation,” a Western diplomat was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

The US State Department said it had received reports of “closures, cancellations and redirected flights” to and from Socotra, reiterating that Washington advises against all travel to Yemen and cannot provide routine consular services there, CNN reported.

Some visitors have been advised to consider travelling by boat to Oman and flying onwards from there, though many are reluctant to attempt the risky sea journey.

TOURISTS WAITING IT OUT

Despite the uncertainty, some tourists are trying to remain calm. “I am enjoying each day on the island, just as I did before we found out that we would be staying longer,” Romanian tourist Bianca Cus told Reuters.

Socotra's relative isolation mitigated the impact of Yemen's long-running and stalemated civil war, rendering it safe enough to attract a small but steady stream of foreign tourists. (Getty Images)

Flights are expected to resume once the security situation stabilises, but officials have offered no firm timeline. Until then, Socotra’s unexpected visitors, drawn by adventure and isolation, are left waiting, caught between a holiday paradise and a deepening regional conflict.

Why Socotra got caught in a regional power struggle

The travel disruption on Socotra is the result of a widening rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, once close allies in Yemen’s civil war, now backing rival forces on the ground.

Both countries intervened in Yemen years ago to counter the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. Over time, however, their priorities diverged. Saudi Arabia continues to support Yemen’s internationally recognised government, while the UAE has backed the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a southern secessionist force that seeks autonomy and eventual independence for southern Yemen, including Socotra.

Tensions escalated sharply in recent weeks after UAE-backed STC fighters expanded their control across parts of southern Yemen. Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes against STC positions to push back the advance. The fallout led the UAE to withdraw its troops from Yemen, including from Socotra, effectively ending Emirati control over the island’s airport.

With the airport no longer under UAE oversight and fighting intensifying on the mainland, Yemeni airspace was partially shut and flights to Socotra suspended. The power struggle between the two Gulf heavyweights has thus spilled far beyond the battlefield, leaving hundreds of foreign tourists stranded on an island that had long been shielded from Yemen’s war.

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