Socotra (Debriefer) - Yemen's fisheries minister on Wednesday criticized the absence of any measures concerning the southern governorate of Socotra in the ongoing application of the Riyadh Agreement.
"It's unaccepted to ignore the coup in Socotra island and go to declare the government without honoring the commitments to the pullout of the Emirati-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) troops from State's offices" in the archipelago, Fahd Kafaien tweeted.
"It was previously agreed to normalizing the situations in Socotra and restoring the island to its former condition before the STC coup, prior to starting the Riyadh pact's implementation," the Yemeni minister added.
"While the situation in Socotra is worsening, the militias are deepening their coup-oriented acts and tightening their control" of the island, he said.
On 19 June, STC forces seized and imposed self-governance in Socotra after fighting with local troops affiliated to Yemen's official government that dubbed the move as rebellion against the Riyadh deal and legitimacy.
Despite the Arab coalition's declaration on Friday that mutual troop withdrawal began in Abyan as stated in Riyadh deal, the United Arab Emirates continues enhancing its military presence in the island.
The UAE persistently builds military bases in Socotra and transports military equipment to the archipelago with Saudi approval, a Yemeni government official said Sunday.
The UAE practiced pressures to halt any parliamentary step to hold the Yemeni government accountable for the construction of Emirati bases in Socotra, Al-Jazeera quoted the official as saying.
The Socotra issue is shockingly "absent from the military measures paving the way for the new government declaration," he added.
