The Yemeni government has accused the United Arab Emirates of running a secret prison at an airbase near the southern Yemeni port city of Mukalla.
The allegations were made by Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of the eastern Yemeni province of Hadramaut, during a media trip to the Riyan airbase near Mukalla.
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 Southern Transitional Council (STC).
"All measures will be taken to hold perpetrators of violations accountable, whether Aidarous al-Zubaidi or the UAE — its elements, officials, or people working for them — to achieve justice for the victims and their families," he said.
During the presser, the governor of Hadramaut also said that the Yemeni government had discovered suspicious Emirati equipment and practices at the Riyan base that were not consistent with the declared goals of the legitimacy support coalition, Arab News reported.
He added that the equipment included wires, explosives, detonators and communication devices.
Khanbashi said the type of materials discovered and the way they were prepared were not consistent with the tools and equipment used by regular armies in military bases
Khanbashi's remarks are among the most severe accusations levelled against the UAE.
The fast-moving crisis in Yemen's south has created a rift between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two oil-rich countries in the Gulf, fracturing a coalition headed by Yemen's internationally recognised government that is fighting the Iran-backed Houthis.
Last month STC forces suddenly seized swathes of territory, shifting the balance of power and pitting Saudi Arabia against the UAE.
'Baseless fabrications'
The UAE's Ministry of Defence on Tuesday rejected claims that weapons and explosives linked to the UAE were discovered at the Riyan airbase in Yemen's Mukalla, calling the allegations "false, misleading and entirely baseless".
In a statement, the ministry dismissed remarks made by the Hadramout Governor Al-Khanbashi, saying they lacked evidence and were aimed at misleading public opinion and damaging the reputation of the UAE Armed Forces.
The ministry said UAE forces had completed a "full and official withdrawal" from Yemen on January 2 with all equipment and weapons transferred in line with standard military procedures, leaving no UAE military or logistical presence in the country.
It also denied allegations of "secret prisons" at Al Riyan International Airport, describing them as fabrications.
The facilities in question, it said, were standard military barracks, operations rooms and fortified shelters commonly found at airports and military sites worldwide.
