While the United Arab Emirates (UAE) makes no secret of its maritime ambitions to control trade and port facilities across the Arabian Sea and East Africa, 1]

In the case of UAE’s occupation of Socatra, its effective control now extends to four main islands: Socotra (3,796km2), Abd al-Kuri (130.2km2), Samhah (39.6km2), and Darsah (7.5km2), as well as three small islets. In addition, UAE has established a military base on most of Yemen’s 13 km2 Perim Island (Mayyun/جزيرة ميون, in Arabic) on the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

[1] Akbar Shahid Ahmed and Adel al-Hasani, “Americans Are Quietly Supporting A Saudi Land Grab In Yemen,” Huffington Post (23 February 2023), https://www.huffpost.com/entry/yemen-mahra-saudi_n_63ee5d3ee4b022eb3e354a6c.

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