Stormy ending to the holidays in the “Galapagos of the Indian Ocean” for over 400 foreign tourists, including around eighty Italians, left stranded in Socotra, the remote Yemeni island indirectly affected by strong military tensions in the continental part of the country.
Flights suspended after conflict escalated
The worsening of the conflict between the separatists supported by the United Arab Emirates and the government factions supported by Riyadh has in fact led to the suspension of flights from the local airport. And at the moment it is not known with certainty when they will be able to return. “We are here waiting,” an Italian tourist who is there explains to ANSA. While they wait for the situation to resolve itself, Italians on holiday on the island, considered a paradise of biodiversity and included in the list of UNESCO heritage sites, therefore remain in the hotels and campsites in which they had found accommodation through various tour operators. “We are fine, but the situation is not comfortable and we have no information on our return”, reassures the woman via Whatsapp, asking not to be mentioned by name. «The local people are very kind and are hosting us», he continued, and then clarified: «We are not in paradise as they say, but crammed into hotels because only here is there an internet connection with which we can communicate and get information. In the meantime, the Farnesina Crisis Unit is working with tourist agencies and the Embassy in Riyadh to facilitate the group’s return, the Foreign Ministry said.
Yemen listed as a risk area
The entire Yemen, however, has been indicated by the Italian authorities as a risk area for months: a notice published on the Viaggiare Sicuri website on 31 October 2025, still valid, recalls that traveling to the country “is absolutely not recommended”, as is traveling throughout the entire Yemeni territory, “including the island of Socotra”. Local authorities also reported the blockade of air traffic in the area, controlled by the separatists of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), supported by Abu Dhabi. “We have more than 400 foreign tourists… their flights have been cancelled,” explained Yehya ben Afrar, deputy governor of Socotra. According to local and diplomatic sources, among the stranded visitors there are, in addition to Italians, British, French, American, Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Polish citizens. “The flights have been interrupted since January 2nd and they already knew it since December 30th, but they didn’t tell us anything,” explained the compatriot who was supposed to leave just last Friday. «When we arrived at the airport to catch the return flight we found the airport closed». The bulk of tourists arrive on the island via the United Arab Emirates. Many of those now stranded had chosen it to spend the end-of-year holidays there. Until a few days ago, the area remained on the margins of the tensions recorded in mainland Yemen, where at the beginning of December the STC separatists, who are part of the national government, took control of vast territories in the south, unleashing the wrath of the other government factions, supported by Saudi Arabia. Last Friday, these factions launched an operation against STC positions in Hadramout province, accompanied by attacks by the Saudi air force. In these clashes, at least 80 separatist soldiers died. Between 2014 and 2022, Yemen was wracked by a devastating war between a coalition led by Riyadh and Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, with hundreds of thousands killed. The conflict was followed by a phase of truce.