Thousands of citizens of the Yemeni island of Socotra have held a mass rally on Tuesday against the presence of the UAE occupation militia on the island.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against the Emirati occupation, which has turned Socotra island into a location of military barracks and armories.

The protesters, who roamed the streets of the city of Hadibu, raised banners condemning the presence of the UAE-backed militias as a great threat to the rare environmental diversity on the island.

The protesters demanded that the UAE must stop creating security chaos in Socotra, which threatens security and social cohesion among the islanders.

Tribal gunmen on Socotra island took control of a warehouse of military weapons belonging to the Emirati occupation militias in the ancient Shouq area last week, in an act of resistance against the occupation of the island.

The demonstrations came after a military coup against the governor of the Hadi government by the so-called Coast Battalion and its accession to the Emirati occupation militias, with all its equipment and forces last week.