The Yemeni government has accused the United Arab Emirates of running a secret prison at an airbase near the southern Yemeni port city of Mukalla.
The allegations were made by Salem al-Khanbashi, the Governor of the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramaut, during a media trip to the Riyan airbase near Mukalla.
Khanbashi told a televised press conference that necessary measures would be taken against the UAE and the head of Yemen’s main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
“All measures will be taken to hold perpetrators of violations accountable, whether Aidarous al-Zubaidi or the UAE — its elements, officials, or people working for them — to achieve justice for the victims and their families,” he said.
The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence on Tuesday denied running secret prisons in southern Yemen following claims from Saudi-backed Yemeni officials that widened a rift between the Gulf powers.
In a statement, the ministry dismissed remarks made by the Hadramout Governor Al-Khanbashi, saying they lacked evidence and were aimed at misleading public opinion and damaging the reputation of the UAE Armed Forces.
The allegations are “deliberate fabrications” and a “blatant attempt to advance political agendas at the expense of truth”, the ministry statement said.
The ministry said UAE forces had completed a “full and official withdrawal” from Yemen on January 2 with all equipment and weapons transferred in line with standard military procedures, leaving no UAE military or logistical presence in the country.
It also denied allegations of “secret prisons” at Al Riyan International Airport, describing them as fabrications.
Monday’s claims from Hadramawt province followed clashes between UAE- and Saudi-backed forces that prompted Abu Dhabi to withdraw its remaining troops from Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the Gulf’s biggest economies, joined forces to fight Yemen’s Iran-sponsored Houthi rebels in 2015 but ended up backing opposing camps in the south.
The rivalry came to a head after an advance by UAE-backed separatists in Hadramawt and Mahra provinces last month was pushed back by Saudi air strikes and allied ground forces.