Yemeni Officials Accuse UAE of Operating Secret Prisons on Saudi-Backed Tour
Senior government figures allege that United Arab Emirates and allied forces maintain clandestine detention sites in southern Yemen amid intensifying political tensions
Senior officials from Yemen’s internationally recognised government have publicly accused the United Arab Emirates of operating secret prisons in southern Yemen during a Saudi-backed delegation tour intended to bolster national unity and conflict resolution.
The allegations, made in remarks to Yemeni media from a representative involved in the delegation, centre on informal detention facilities purportedly run by UAE forces or UAE-aligned factions in provinces such as Hadramout.
According to the officials, these facilities are outside the formal justice system and hold detainees without transparent legal process, prompting calls for accountability and the closure of such sites.
The claims come amid a period of significant political upheaval in Yemen.
Government forces recently reclaimed key southern territories, including Aden, from the Southern Transitional Council, a separatist group previously backed by the UAE that had seized control of parts of the south during internal conflict.
This shift followed Saudi Arabia’s intensified involvement in southern Yemen and reflects broader tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over the direction of military and political strategy in the country.
The government’s allegations of clandestine detention sites add another layer of strain to an already complex diplomatic landscape in the region.
Human rights groups and researchers have documented the existence of so-called ‘‘informal detention facilities’’ and secret prisons linked to the UAE and allied Yemeni forces in previous years, describing practices such as arbitrary detention and lack of judicial oversight.
These accounts — reinforced by statements from Yemeni human rights advocates and the internationally recognised government — have emphasised the need for independent investigation and safeguards to protect detainees’ rights.
The government’s comments during the Saudi-backed tour underscored its intention to pursue measures against those it deems responsible and to highlight the issue in the context of broader efforts to stabilise and unify Yemen after a decade of conflict.
The allegations, made in remarks to Yemeni media from a representative involved in the delegation, centre on informal detention facilities purportedly run by UAE forces or UAE-aligned factions in provinces such as Hadramout.
According to the officials, these facilities are outside the formal justice system and hold detainees without transparent legal process, prompting calls for accountability and the closure of such sites.
The claims come amid a period of significant political upheaval in Yemen.
Government forces recently reclaimed key southern territories, including Aden, from the Southern Transitional Council, a separatist group previously backed by the UAE that had seized control of parts of the south during internal conflict.
This shift followed Saudi Arabia’s intensified involvement in southern Yemen and reflects broader tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over the direction of military and political strategy in the country.
The government’s allegations of clandestine detention sites add another layer of strain to an already complex diplomatic landscape in the region.
Human rights groups and researchers have documented the existence of so-called ‘‘informal detention facilities’’ and secret prisons linked to the UAE and allied Yemeni forces in previous years, describing practices such as arbitrary detention and lack of judicial oversight.
These accounts — reinforced by statements from Yemeni human rights advocates and the internationally recognised government — have emphasised the need for independent investigation and safeguards to protect detainees’ rights.
The government’s comments during the Saudi-backed tour underscored its intention to pursue measures against those it deems responsible and to highlight the issue in the context of broader efforts to stabilise and unify Yemen after a decade of conflict.
