Yemen southern council consolidates grip on Socrata, a Unesco site

San’aa: Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council on Saturday took control of military and police camps in Yemen’s Socotra archipelago, a Unesco World Heritage site, security officials said.

By day’s end the Council had taken control of most of the remote province from forces of Yemen’s government.

The Council also arrested several military personnel and civilians. Those arrested included Brig. Abdul-Rahman Al Zafrani, commander of the air force in the province, they said.

No causalities were reported, said the four security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.

On Friday, the Council seized several state buildings, including the governor’s headquarters, as they pushed into the provincial capital Hadebo.

The fighting in Socotra threatens to cause irreversible damage to the World Heritage site, which has rare Dragon Blood trees, plant species, spices and marine life, many of which are found nowhere else.