Saudi-backed Yemeni government accuses UAE of running secret prisons, Abu Dhabi denies claim
Yemeni authorities presented images and evidence of secret prisons and explosives at al-Rayyan airbase, accusing UAE of abuses amid escalating Saudi-UAE regional tensions.
- On January 19, 2026, Salem al-Khanbashi, Governor of Hadramout, accused the United Arab Emirates of running a secret underground prison and stockpiling explosives at al-Rayyan air base near Mukalla.
- Late December saw Saudi Arabia strike an Emirati shipment to Mukalla, and the Saudi-backed forces reasserted control by January 7, amid ongoing regional tensions.
- Yemeni authorities said they discovered explosives, IEDs and booby-trap materials at al-Rayyan air base near Mukalla, with site specialists assessing them as non-standard and some intended for assassinations; officials published images of underground detention facilities inspected by a Reuters news team and international journalists.
- The governor vowed all measures to hold perpetrators accountable, naming Aidarous al-Zubaidi or UAE elements, while there was no immediate comment by the UAE foreign ministry.
- Over the past weeks, Saudi and Emirati pundits have traded attacks on social media, reflecting disagreements between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi that span geopolitics, oil output, and fierce economic competition.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Yemen accuses UAE of running secret prisons, Abu Dhabi denies
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government accused the United Arab Emirates on Monday of running a secret prison at an airbase near the south Yemeni port city of Mukalla, an allegation denied by Abu Dhabi. The accusation fueled tensions in a deepening row between the two Gulf oil states, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The allegations were made by Salem Al-Khanbashi, the governor of the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramout, during a rare medi…
Saudi-backed Yemeni officials say UAE ran secret prisons
AL MUKALLA, Yemen: Saudi-backed Yemeni officials on Monday said the United Arab Emirates has been running secret prisons in the country’s south, the latest episode in a growing rift between the two regional allies turned rivals.
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