Yemen's former Saudi-backed government says the militants funded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have staged “a full-fledged coup" in the strategic island of Socotra.
Yemen’s official news agency quoted an unnamed official of Yemen's former government as saying on Saturday that the UAE-backed separatists of the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) "carried out a full-fledged coup that undermined state institutions in the province."
The militants launched an attack with various medium and heavy weapons, targeting state institutions and citizens' properties, and stormed Saudi-backed camps and headquarters, the source said.
The official called on the Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen to help "stop the mess" and chaos as a result of the offensive.
A local source told Turkey's state-owned Anadolu Agency that the gunmen of the STC arrested Colonel Abdel-Rahman al-Zafni, the commander of the Saudi air force camp in Socotra, and transferred him to an unknown location.
On Saturday, STC militants took control of Saudi-backed militant camps in Socotra archipelago, a UNESCO World Heritage site, according to an unnamed security official.
By day's end the separatists had taken control of most of the province from Saudi-sponsored militants. No casualties reported, said the official.
Socotra Governor Ramzi Mahrous condemned the separatist attacks and called for the immediate release of the province.
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