22 June 2020; MEMO: Yemeni separatists backed by the UAE yesterday expelled dozens of residents of Socotra island after seizing the territory from the internationally-recognised government, an informed government source said.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Southern Transitional Council (STC) militia expelled dozens of Yemenis who are originally from the northern governorates and live on the island, explaining that a majority of them work in the private sector.
According to the source, small boats carried the expelled residents off the island.
Earlier on Saturday, the STC forces staged a “coup” in the strategic archipelago, taking control of military and police camps.
The Yemeni official news agency reported a government source as saying that “the militias of the so-called Transitional Council in Socotra carried out a full-fledged coup that undermined state institutions in the province”.
In April, the STC announced self-rule over Southern Yemen, amid Arab and international rejection.
