evidence: Socotra’s institutions, mostly transposed from the mainland, have undergone profound changes over the last century. Socotra used to be part of the Mahra Sultanate, in which the Sultan ruled, through his representative and a retinue of tax farmers, by fear and superstition (Elie, Reference Elie2008). The socialist government (1968–1990) integrated the cave-dwelling Bedouin in the mountains, agropastoralists in the interior plains and artisanal fishermen in the coastal areas into a civil society run by a party-controlled hierarchical system of committees. New institutions provided education, food relief and palliative health services. With unification of Yemen in 1990 freedom was obtained to practise religion, trade and travel. The village committees of the previous regime continued functioning on an informal level, alongside the new administration (Elie, Reference Elie2008). Since 2000 the Socotra archipelago has comprised two districts, which depend on the mainland Hadramout governorate: Hadibu in the centre and east with c. 32,000 inhabitants, and Qalansiya in the west with c. 12,000, and the islands of Abdul al Kuri (500 people), Samha (250 people) and Darsa (uninhabited). Most ministries (Fisheries, Agriculture, Health, Education) are represented, albeit with a low capacity.