Yemen’s Saudi-backed PLC slams UAE for running secret prisons; Abu Dhabi denies

Yemen’s Saudi-backed so-called Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) has slammed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for running secret prisons at an airbase near the southern Yemeni port city of Mukalla, with Abu Dhabi categorically dismissing the assertion.

Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramout, said during a press conference on Monday that militant groups affiliated with the head of the pro-secession and UAE-supported Southern Transitional Council (STC), Aidrous al-Zubaidi, were looting and stealing from state institutions in Hadramout.

He added that authorities had uncovered explosives stored at al-Rayyan Airport, which were apparently intended for use in planned assassinations.

Khanbashi, who is also a member of the PLC, went on to denounce the UAE for exploiting its participation in the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen to advance its own agenda.

“We believed the UAE would support and assist us, but we were shocked by its actions,” he noted.

Khanbashi also said Hadramout had suffered from the presence of armed groups linked to Zubaidi, which he said were operating with Emirati backing.

Yemen’s UAE-allied separatist leader flees to Abu Dhabi via Somaliland

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says the leader of the secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) has fled to the United Arab Emirates via Somaliland after skipping peace talks in Riyadh.

A senior official in the PLC, speaking to Reuters, revealed on Monday that secret prisons operated by the United Arab Emirates in Hadhramaut were used to detain individuals without due process.

The official did not disclose further details regarding the number of facilities or the conditions of detainees.

He further declared that the PLC will take “all necessary measures” against both the UAE and its allied separatist group to “achieve justice for victims.” 

The UAE denied the remarks in a statement on Tuesday, calling them “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 Defense Ministry said.

It also reiterated that the Persian Gulf country's forces officially had withdrawn from Yemen in December 2025.

The latest development adds up to a sharp deterioration in relations between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over influence in southern Yemen.

Saudi officials have increasingly denounced Emirati-backed factions, particularly forces aligned with the STC, for advancing agendas that threaten Saudi national security.

“With Abu Dhabi inciting against Saudi Arabia ... the kingdom will not hesitate to take the necessary steps and measures against it,” read a post published by Saudi state-run Ekhbariya TV on the social media platform X on Sunday.

In late December, Saudi forces struck what they said was an Emirati shipment of weapons and equipment destined for the STC in the port of Mukalla.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir