ADEN, May 2 (NNN-SABA) – Intense clashes erupted on Friday, between Yemen’s government forces, and the military units of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), in the country’s archipelago of Socotra.
“The government forces exchanged artillery shelling with the STC’s military units, during hours of clashes, sparked over the control of Hadibu, Socotra’s provincial capital,” the local security source said.
The clashes resulted in the killing of a local citizen and injuring an unknown number of soldiers, among the two-warring sides, he said.
The source noted that officials of the Saudi Arabia-led coalition forces intervened, and managed to stop the armed confrontations.
Representatives of the two-warring sides later attended a meeting at the headquarters of the Saudi forces in Socotra, and signed an agreement that included the withdrawal of forces to previous sites.
Socotra’s clashes came after the Aden-based STC declared a state of emergency on Apr 26 and said, it would begin self-governing in Aden and other key neighbouring southern provinces under its control.
Socotra is located in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and Yemen’s warring factions sporadically engage in armed confrontations over establishing military bases there for controlling the island.
The Socotra archipelago is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, with rich and unique biodiversity.– NNN-SABA
