RismadarVoice Reporters
January 20, 2026
The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday dismissed allegations that it operates secret prisons in southern Yemen, describing the claims as false, politically motivated amid growing tensions with Saudi Arabia.
In a statement issued by its Ministry of Defence, the UAE said the accusations were “deliberate fabrications” and a “blatant attempt to advance political agendas at the expense of truth.”
The denial followed claims made on Monday by officials in Yemen’s Hadramawt province, aligned with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, who alleged that Emirati forces had run clandestine detention facilities in the area.
The allegations emerged shortly after clashes between forces backed by the UAE and those supported by Saudi Arabia, which led Abu Dhabi to withdraw its remaining troops from Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the two largest economies in the Gulf, formed a coalition in 2015 to combat Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. However, their alliance later fractured as both countries backed rival factions in southern Yemen.
Tensions escalated last month when UAE-supported separatist forces advanced in Hadramawt and Mahra provinces but were repelled by Saudi airstrikes and allied ground troops.
Speaking to foreign journalists invited by the Saudi-backed government, including AFP, the Governor of Hadramawt claimed that “a number of secret prisons used by Emirati forces” had been discovered in the province.
The UAE Defence Ministry rejected the claims, saying the facilities cited were “military accommodation, operations rooms and fortified shelters, some of which are located underground.”
“The attempt to implicate the United Arab Emirates in such allegations raises serious questions about the true motives and parties behind the promotion of these falsehoods,” the statement added.
Saudi Arabia is currently seeking to consolidate its influence in government-controlled areas of southern Yemen, while northern regions, home to most of the country’s population, remain under the control of Houthi rebels.
