UAE denies Saudi-backed Yemeni govt's claim it was running 'secret prisons'

CAIRO - The UAE's defence ministry denied on Tuesday a statement by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government that the Gulf country was running "secret prisons" in the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramout.

The Yemeni government accused the United Arab Emirates on Monday of running a secret prison at an airbase near the south Yemeni port city of Mukalla, fueling tensions in a row between the two Gulf oil states.

The accusation fueled tensions in a deepening row between the two Gulf oil states, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The allegations were made by Salem Al-Khanbashi, the governor of the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramout, during a rare media trip arranged by the Saudi government which flew international journalists including a Reuters team from Riyadh to the Riyan airbase near the Yemeni city of Mukalla.

Al-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 STC, who the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen alleged had been spirited out of Yemen by the UAE.

"All the measures will be taken to hold perpetrators of violations accountable, either Aidarous al-Zubaidi or the UAE - its elements, officials, or people working for them ... to achieve justice for the victims and their families."

The UAE denied the governor's statement in a statement on Tuesday, calling it "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," the Emirati ministry said.

It also reiterated that the Gulf country's forces officially withdrew from Yemen in December 2025.