Hundreds of tourists stuck on Yemeni island as tensions simmer on mainland

Hadramout governor says ports and airports will soon be operational after Saudi-backed government forces ousted secessionists from the south.Published On 5 Jan 2026About 400 tourists are stuck on the Yemeni island of Socotra after flights were grounded because of clashes on the mainland between government troops backed by Saudi Arabia and secessionists with links to the United Arab Emirates.Over the past few days, flights in and out of Yemen have been largely restricted during heavy fighting between rival armed factions loosely grouped under the Yemen’s fractious government, which is based in the southern port city of Aden.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3The Yemeni crisis: More complexity and many repercussionslist 2 of 3Saudi-backed government forces retake multiple cities in southern Yemenlist 3 of 3Footage shows Saudi-backed forces advancing in southern Yemenend of listThe Socotra islands, 380km (236 miles) south of the mainland, are under the control of the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council, which has clashed with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government in the provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra.Yahya bin Afrar, the deputy governor for culture and tourism on Socotra, the largest island in the Socotra archipelago, said that “more than 400 foreign tourists” are stranded after their flights were “suspended”.A local official, who spoke to the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity, said that 416 people of different nationalities were stranded on Socotra, including “more than 60 Russians”.An unnamed Western diplomat said that “British, French and American” nationals were also among the stranded tourists.Highly unstable regionIn a post on X on Sunday, Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Maciej Wewior, said Polish tourists were stuck too, adding that flights to Socotra by an Emirati airline had been suspended until Tuesday.“Socotra is located in a highly unstable region, where an armed conflict has been ongoing for years. Currently, the security situation has further deteriorated. Due to the intensification of military operations, airspace has been closed,” the post said.