In a statement that could hint at further rift between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the Yemeni government has accused the former of operating a secret prison and an ammunition cache at an airbase near the southern Yemeni port city of Mukalla. The allegation was made by Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramaut, during a media trip to the Riyan airbase near Mukalla.
The media trip was part of a Saudi-orchestrated tour to the Riyan airbase. Al-Khanbashi also vowed to hold the Emirati government and its allied separatist leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, accountable for the act.
"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, adding that the Yemeni government discovered suspicious Emirati equipment and practices at the Riyan base.
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These included equipment like wires, explosives, detonators, and communication devices, and these types of materials were not consistent with the tools and equipment used by regular armies in military bases.
He added that there was evidence hinting at the existence of secret prisons run by Emirati forces in the city of Mukalla, where people were held outside the law besides enforced disappearance and torture.
Meanwhile, the UAE's Ministry of Defence (MoD) rubbished the claims made by the Yemeni government, calling them ”false and misleading allegations” without evidence or a factual basis about the supposed discovery of weapons and explosives linked to the UAE at Riyan Airport in Mukalla.
The Ministry affirmed that the facilities are only military accommodation, operations rooms, and fortified shelters, some located underground. This is a common feature of airports and military installations worldwide and has no implications beyond the normal military context.
"These 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," the statement read.
The UAE had earlier said it made a complete 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.