Socotra on the Brink of Economic Paralysis: Fuel Drum Prices Exceed 100,000 Rials Amid Complete Absence of Petroleum Products

Media sources affiliated with mercenary factions have confirmed that the price of a single fuel drum in Yemen’s Socotra archipelago has surpassed 100,000 Yemeni rials for the first time on the black market, amid a total absence of petroleum products on the island.

Recent developments in Socotra Governorate have exposed a reality starkly different from the image long promoted by the United Arab Emirates regarding its so-called “charitable work and humanitarian projects” on the island. Abu Dhabi’s withdrawal of its fuel stations and storage facilities—following its departure from the archipelago due to an escalating struggle for influence and control with the Saudi occupation in recent times—has triggered a severe fuel and gas crisis, compounding the suffering of residents who have found themselves with no viable alternatives.

The Al-Mahra and Socotra Platform reported in a Facebook post several days ago that the island is now experiencing near-total paralysis across various aspects of daily life, as a result of the absence of domestic gas and fuel required for electricity generation and essential services. This has occurred in the absence of any practical solutions to compensate for the shortage or to alleviate the suffering of the population.

Meanwhile, media outlets affiliated with the Saudi occupation claimed the arrival of the first shipment of petroleum products to Socotra, in an apparent attempt to exploit the crisis to improve the Kingdom’s image. However, the reality sharply contradicts these claims, as the so-called shipment amounted to nothing more than a vessel carrying only 27 barrels of diesel.