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The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday rejected allegations that it operates secret prisons in southern Yemen, dismissing claims by Saudi-backed Yemeni officials as a “blatant attempt to advance political agendas at the expense of truth.”
The allegations were made by Salem Al-Khanbashi, governor of Yemen’s eastern Hadramout province, during a press conference held as part of a rare media tour organised by Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi government flew international journalists from Riyadh to the Riyan airbase near the port city of Mukalla.
Speaking at the briefing, Al-Khanbashi said Yemeni authorities would take action against those he accused of abuses, including the United Arab Emirates and the leader of Yemen’s main separatist group, the Southern Transitional Council (STC).
In response, the UAE defence ministry issued a statement categorically denying the claims, describing them as “false and misleading allegations,” and stating that the allegation was devoid of “any evidence or factual basis” regarding the purported discovery of quantities of weapons and explosives allegedly linked.
“The Ministry of Defence (MOD) of the United Arab Emirates has categorically denied the claims made during the press conference held by the Governor of Hadramawt, Salem Al-Khanbashi,” the statement said.
“The conference, the ministry stressed, contained false and misleading allegations devoid of any evidence or factual basis, regarding the purported discovery of quantities of weapons and explosives allegedly linked to the United Arab Emirates at Riyan Airport in the Yemeni city of Mukalla.”
According to the ministry, the allegations are “entirely unfounded and represent an unacceptable attempt to distort facts, mislead public opinion, deliberately tarnish the reputation of the UAE Armed Forces, and undermine their recognised military commitments and established record.”
Addressing allegations of secret detention sites, the ministry said claims of “so-called ‘secret prisons’ at Riyan Airport” were “nothing more than deliberate fabrications and misinformation.”
“The facilities referred to are merely military accommodation, operations rooms and fortified shelters, some of which are located underground, a common and well-known feature of airports and military installations worldwide and bear no implications beyond the normal military context,” it said.
The defence ministry said efforts to link the UAE to the allegations raised “serious questions about the true motives and parties behind the promotion of these falsehoods”, calling them part of “a systematic campaign to distort the image of the United Arab Emirates”.
