Reuters Reveals: UAE Operates Secret Prisons in Hadramout Amid Escalating Conflict With Saudi Arabia
Pro-Riyadh Government Official Confirms Discovery of Undisclosed Detention Facilities Run by Abu Dhabi in Eastern Yemen, as the Battle for Influence Intensifies Between Former Allies
NYN | Reports and Analyses
Reuters has revealed, citing an official in the Saudi-aligned Yemeni government, the discovery of several secret prisons in Hadramout governorate that he said had been operated by the United Arab Emirates over the past years.
Power Struggle Erupts From Southern Yemen
This development comes amid rapidly escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, whose spark ignited in southern Yemen following the unraveling of the partnership between the two sides. That partnership had formed the backbone of the military coalition that launched its war on Yemen more than a decade ago.
A Battle Extending Beyond Yemen to Regional Arenas
According to observers, the “bone-breaking” struggle between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi is no longer confined to the Yemeni arena, but is likely to spill over into other regional theaters, most notably Sudan and Somalia, alongside an intensifying media confrontation and influence wars across traditional media and social media platforms.
Mutual Accusations and Attempts to Clear the Record
In this context, the report notes that Saudi Arabia is seeking political and media disengagement from the crimes and violations committed in Yemen over the past decade by placing full responsibility on its Emirati partner—particularly with regard to the secret prisons file and cases of extrajudicial detention.
This issue is expected to cast a heavy shadow over the future of relations between the two sides, as well as over the trajectory of the conflict in areas under their respective spheres of influence.
