UAE denies claims of secret prisons in Yemen's Hadramout province

The UAE's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has denied claims made by the Yemeni government at a press conference that the Emirates was running "secret prisons" in the eastern province of Hadramout, Salem Al-Khanbashi.

The Ministry stressed that the conference contained false and misleading allegations without evidence or factual basis about the supposed discovery of weapons and explosives linked to the UAE at Riyan Airport in Mukalla.

In a statement, the Ministry said that the allegations "of so-called 'secret prisons' at Riyan Airport are nothing more than deliberate fabrications and misinformation aimed at constructing false narratives that lack accuracy and professionalism."

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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 MoD clarified that UAE forces officially and publicly completed their withdrawal from Yemen on January 2, 2026. This included the transfer of all equipment, weapons and assets according to the established and recognised military procedures, eliminating any scope for interpretation or claims of any Emirati military, logistical or technical presence on Yemeni territory.

The Ministry of Defence underscored that attempts to implicate the UAE in these allegations raise serious questions about the motives and parties behind these falsehoods. The MoD called this a blatant attempt to advance political agendas at the expense of truth and part of a campaign to distort the image of the United Arab Emirates and the sacrifices of its soldiers in support of Yemen and its security for more than a decade.