Turki al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi rebels, said on Sunday the Saudi soldiers are on a training and support mission with Yemeni forces.
- Saudi, Emirati, and Yemeni forces will conduct joint training exercises in coordination with the Yemeni government, he added.
The Saudi deployment was reportedly coordinated with the Yemeni government, according to Saudi's state-owned Al-Ekhbariya channel.
Socotra has been at the heart of a dispute between Yemen and its ally the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE is a major pillar in the Saudi-led coalition but its deployment of troops to the island earlier this month without prior consultation with Yemen's government stoked the ire of residents.
- Mass protests
Protests broke out in Socotra last week as locals rejected the deployment of forces belonging to the UAE because there are no rebels on the island.
Demonstrators marched through the streets of Socotra's capital, Hadibu, rejecting what they described as UAE intervention in the internal affairs of the province without seeking government approval.
[aljazeera.com]
13/5/18
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