Yemen's government has admitted that secret prisons exist. These prisons were reportedly run by groups connected to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This news comes after the BBC saw former UAE military sites in southern Yemen. The BBC found that prisoners were kept in very bad conditions. Some were held in shipping containers that were used as small rooms.
For a long time, groups and people who were in these prisons have accused UAE-backed forces of abuse. They said people were mistreated in unofficial detention centres. The BBC report showed pictures of about ten black shipping containers. These were used as cells for prisoners. Names and dates were scratched on the outside of the containers. This shows how long people were kept there. These findings match stories from people who say they were hurt and abused.
The war in Yemen has been going on for ten years. The UAE and the Yemeni government were allies against the Houthi rebels. However, the UAE recently took its soldiers out of Yemen. This allowed Yemeni government forces to take back control of southern areas. This change shows that alliances in the region are changing.
The Yemeni government allowed the BBC to see these secret prisons. This might lead to more international checks on what is happening in Yemen. For people who were in these prisons, these findings prove their stories. It has been very hard for journalists to get permission to report in Yemen. Therefore, these new reports are important. They show possible human rights problems and the difficult human cost of the war.