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About 400 tourists are stuck on the Yemeni island of Socotra after flights were grounded because of\u00a0clashes on the mainland<\/a>\u00a0between government troops backed by Saudi Arabia and secessionists with links to the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n Over the past few days, flights in and out of Yemen have been largely restricted during heavy fighting between rival armed factions loosely grouped under the Yemen\u2019s fractious government, which is based in the southern port city of Aden.<\/p>\n The Socotra islands, 380km (236 miles) south of the mainland, are under the control of the United Arab Emirates-backed\u00a0Southern Transitional Council<\/a>, which has clashed with Yemen\u2019s Saudi-backed government in the provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra.<\/p>\n Yahya bin Afrar, the deputy governor for culture and tourism on Socotra, the largest island in the Socotra archipelago, said that \u201cmore than 400 foreign tourists\u201d are stranded after their flights were \u201csuspended\u201d.<\/p>\n A local official, who spoke to the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity, said that 416 people of different nationalities were stranded on Socotra, including \u201cmore than 60 Russians\u201d.<\/p>\n An unnamed Western diplomat said that \u201cBritish, French and American\u201d nationals were also among the stranded tourists.<\/p>\n In a post on X on Sunday, Poland\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Maciej Wewior, said Polish tourists were stuck too, adding that flights to Socotra by an Emirati airline had been suspended until Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cSocotra is located in a highly unstable region, where an armed conflict has been ongoing for years. Currently, the security situation has further deteriorated. Due to the intensification of military operations, airspace has been closed,\u201d the post said.<\/p>\n A travel agent in Socotra said at least two Chinese nationals were also there.<\/p>\n Tourists stuck on the island, many of whom went there to for New Year\u2019s celebrations, are now reaching out to their embassies for help to be evacuated, according to another Western diplomat.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir relevant embassies have reached out to the Saudi and Yemeni governments to seek their evacuation,\u201d said the diplomat.<\/p>\n The airport in Aden has been functional since Sunday, after disruptions that lasted for several days.<\/p>\n Yemen\u2019s civil war entered a new phase last month when secessionists with the UAE-backed STC extended its presence in southeastern Yemen with the aim of establishing an\u00a0independent state<\/a>.<\/p>\nHighly unstable region<\/h2>\n