Unveiling Darkness: Yemen's Secret Prisons Under UAE Control

The BBC has been given access to detention facilities on former United Arab Emirates military bases in Yemen, confirming long-standing allegations of a network of secret prisons run by the UAE and forces allied to it in Yemen's decade-long civil war. One former detainee told the BBC he had been beaten and sexually abused at one of the sites. We saw cells at two bases in the south of the country, including shipping containers with names - apparently of detainees - and dates scratched into the sides. The UAE did not respond to our request for comment but has previously denied similar allegations.Until recently, the Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, was allied with the UAE against the Houthi rebel movement that controls north-west Yemen. But the alliance has fractured, with UAE forces withdrawing in early January and Yemeni government forces retaking large areas of the south.At one site, about 10 shipping containers were found with little ventilation and marks on the walls appearing to account for detainee entries.

'No space to lie down'

Several former detainees claimed that each shipping container could hold up to 60 men at a time. They detailed how prisoners were forced to remain seated, enduring lengthy periods in cramped conditions without basic needs met.The UAE's role has been disputed; while they claimed to counter-terrorism efforts, thousands of detainments of political activists and civilians have been reported.

'All types of torture'

Testimonies have emerged detailing life-threatening abuses, with prisoners tortured, starved, and denied basic human rights. Families of detainees are left in despair, fearing for their loved ones held without charge.The Yemeni government has ordered the closure of all illegal prisons and demanded the release of unjustly detained individuals, but fears remain regarding the continued arbitrary detainment even under nominally controlled facilities. The interrogation and detention tactics described raise alarming questions about the extent of UAE's involvement and the complicity of local forces.