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A precarious living on the Yemeni island of Socotra

Crisis in Yemen has left island residents, who depend largely on the mainland for food, scrambling to purchase goods.

The island of Socotra is located about 400km from Yemen in the Indian Ocean. The island, which comprises more than 600 villages, was recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2008.
By Nicolas Axelrod
Published On 14 Feb 2015

Socotra island, Yemen – On January 7, hours before the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo were stormed by gunmen, a car bomb exploded near a police academy in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, killing dozens of people.

Repercussions of the explosion, which targeted Houthi fighters and civilians, could be felt hundreds of kilometres away on the Yemeni island of Socotra. The island is home to about 50,000 people and is 90 percent dependant on the mainland for its food supply, said tour operator Radwan Mobarak Ali – so it came as no surprise that the car bomb, and subsequent seizing of the presidential palace by Houthi rebels, prompted a rush on essential supplies among island inhabitants.

The current power vacuum in Yemen has left Socotra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in a precarious situation. Concerned about the rise in food, fuel and gas prices, islanders have scrambled to purchase goods in the island’s capital, Hadibo. Budgets for infrastructure and recreation have also dropped amid the turmoil, island residents say – and because all flights to Socotra require a stopover on the mainland, tourism has also taken a hit.

A fisherman prepares his nets on the beach near Socotra's capital, Hadibo.
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Market vendors sell a calf at the Hadibo meat market in Socotra, which has around 50,000 inhabitants.
Two young women relax on a beach near Hadibo, the district where more than half of the island's population lives.
Though turtles are protected on the island, they are sometimes caught for food.
The primary occupations of Socotra's residents have traditionally included fishing, raising goats and cattle, and cultivating dates.
Sadiya, who lives in the tourist destination of Detwah Lagoon, was born and grew up in a nearby cave.
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Fish vendors prepare their goods at the Qalansiya fish market. Qalansiya is the island's second largest city, after Hadibo.
The village of Shouab is located on the western coast of the island.
A traditional festive meal starts with a glass of warm broth and goat bones, while the main meal includes goat meat and rice.
Children stand in a doorway in Garub on the southern coast of the island. The houses are traditionally built around a large family courtyard.
Football is a popular sport on the island. Most villages have a team, and tournaments are regularly organised.
Mohamed Sulahman, a goat herder, walks home after feeding his goats.
Socotra is home to around 800 rare species of fauna and flora, around a third of which are found nowhere else on the planet.
In the last few years, Socotra has averaged about 3,000 tourists a year, with a fall in 2014 due to political instability on the mainland.