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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.
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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…
·London, United Kingdom
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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.
·Malaysia
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Total News Sources14
Leaning Left2Leaning Right6Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution55% Right
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources lean Right
55% Right
L 18%
C 27%
R 55%
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