Voltage wrote:Yemen does not claim, or occupy, or own any land that has ever belonged to the Somali Republic or the Somali people. For the last 1millionth time, the Island of Socotra has never been part of Somalia, the independent nation; the colonial geographic of Somali lands in the part; and neither the historical land of the Somali people or Somali suzerainty.
Socotra is now part of the Republic of Yemen, during colonization was administered as part of Britain's south Yemen colony (not part of Britain's Somaliland colony) and prior to that was under the suzerainty and influence of Yemeni Sultans from the region of Hadramout. The Socotrans themselves are not Somalis, not even Cushitic, and their language is a South-Arabian Semitic language, one of many among those spoken by Yemenis.
What you are advocating for is injustic and unnecessary problems with Yemen by claiming land that we have never claimed before and we and the world have always recognized to be part and parcel of the Yemeni indentity. So what if Socotra is closer to Somalia?
How many Islands are closer to other nations but owned by nations farther?
Read my statement again. I am only particular interested in ensuring that Somalia owns the surronding water of Socotra. The possibility of yemen stationing warships so close to Somalia is a nightmare scenario. And thus passive "lets stay friends" attitude wont ensure safety for Somalia.
And nobody cares about the people in socotra, some are Somali, some are arabs. What matters is its geography, and where it lies. And it is to close to Somalia. That are should be adminstrated by Somalia, since having another "country" so close to Somalia is insane.
That is why the TFG parliament asked the UN to resolve this issue:
For First Time in History, Somalia Claims Socotra as Its Own
Somalia has claimed that the islands of Yemeni Socotra Archipelago are part of it, requesting the United Nations to determine the status of the archipelago, executive director of the Saba Center for Strategic Studies said.
The unstable horn of Africa country with a transitional government receiving unlimited support from Yemen said it has the right to administer the archipelago, which lies about 340 km from the Yemeni coast, because it is located within its territory and borders, Ahmed Abdul Karim Saif made clear.
'The Somali claim is an unprecedented and dangerous indicator at a time when local activists and organizations are demanding to give Socotra a suitable status according to its geopolitical and strategic location, boost all services on it and take all necessary measures to keep other countries away from thinking of any part of Yemen.'
In response, Yemen submitted a request to the UN saying the archipelago is Yemeni and history and its influence on it prove its claim, he said.
Yemen's response came late and helped prevent a dispute over the archipelago, said Saif, as he ruled out that Socotra is currently a matter of dispute between the two countries.
The remarks were given at a seminar on Socotra, at which the participants voiced concerns about the situation of the archipelago amid poor basic services and infrastructure.
They said the current situation in Socotra could lead to unacceptable security, military and economic consequences that may hamper preparing the investment climate on it and its development as Yemen is seeking to better use its potentials.
Moreover, they urged the government to address all issues affecting the interest of the Socotra people and their traditions.
