Name: Tourists stranded on remote Yemeni island after Saudi-UAE rift
Uploaded: 2026-01-06T17:07:59.692Z
Duration: 1 min 46 s
Description: When the United Arab Emirates withdrew its troops from Yemen last week under a deadline from Saudi Arabia, it also left behind the remote Yemeni island of Socotra and the roughly 600 tourists who had flown in but could no longer fly out.

When the United Arab Emirates withdrew its troops from Yemen last week under a deadline from Saudi Arabia, it also left behind the remote Yemeni island of Socotra and the roughly 600 tourists who had flown in but could no longer fly out.

Al Mukalla

Approximately 600 tourists are currently stranded on the Yemeni island of Socotra after flights were halted due to escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The crisis stems from a dispute between the two Gulf nations, who support rival factions in Yemen's civil war, resulting in the UAE withdrawing its troops from Yemen and Saudi forces launching airstrikes.

Tourists on the island have expressed growing concerns about their ability to return home, with some facing urgent medical needs. Socotra, which has remained relatively peaceful despite conflict on the mainland, is now caught in the crossfire of a broader regional dispute.

Tourists stranded on remote Yemeni island after Saudi-UAE rift

This is the remote Yemeni island of Socotra, where about 600 tourists are currently stranded. Flights in and out have stopped because of a deepening crisis between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which back opposing groups in Yemen's civil war. Italian tourist Tiziana Casanato says Socotra was amazing for a week's vacation, but she needs to get home. If it is a delay of one day, two days, you can accept it. But now it's becoming a problem for all of us because we must go back to work. And it will cause a lot of problems to all of us because we have activities, we have jobs that we cannot go back to. Socotra lies just under 200 miles south of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, a haven of tranquility during years of conflict on the mainland. It offers magical beaches and unique flora. But it also sits alongside a key shipping route to the Red Sea. Socotra came under effective United Arab Emirates control in 2018. The UAE withdrew its troops from Yemen last week under a deadline from Saudi Arabia. Riyadh's forces have been carrying out airstrikes to aid Yemeni government troops against UAE-backed southern separatists, the same ones who run Socotra. The two Gulf countries have navigated many differences in the past, from geopolitics to oil output, but this latest fallout has brought their disagreements out in the open. Italian tourist Adriana Ruffli says she'll soon need to take a life-saving drug that is hard to find. I'm asking authorities to intervene and break the deadlock, she says.

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