Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Activists in the Socotra Archipelago have called for mass protests on Sunday, May 18, 2025, in front of the UAE-owned ADNOC fuel station in the city of Hadiboh. The demonstrations aim to denounce what they describe as the company’s “exploitative policies,” after fuel prices were raised to levels beyond the purchasing power of local residents.
According to local reports, the price of a 20-liter jerrycan of gasoline has soared to 40,000 Yemeni riyals, while a large gas cylinder now costs 51,000 riyals—sparking widespread public anger across the governorate.
The organizers affirmed that this step comes amidst deteriorating living conditions and rising prices of basic commodities, demanding that prices be adjusted to match those in other Yemeni governorates and that ADNOC’s monopoly on the fuel sector in the archipelago be ended.
They indicated that the continued disregard for their demands might push them towards peaceful escalation, starting with the closure of the station, stressing that collective action is the only option available to stop what they described as the “Emirati manipulation” of the energy sector in Socotra.
They warned that continued disregard of these demands could lead to peaceful escalation, beginning with the closure of the station. They emphasized that collective action is the only option left to stop what they described as “Emirati exploitation” of Socotra’s energy sector.
It is worth noting that the UAE’s ADNOC company has monopolized the sale of petroleum products in Socotra since the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council took control of the archipelago. Complaints have been growing over the company’s manipulation of prices and the lack of regulatory oversight.
Last month, the Socotra National Conference condemned the absence of state authority and local governance in the governorate. It criticized the failure to curb ongoing fuel price hikes, which have been implemented without any logical justification.
