UAE-backed militia responsible for kidnappings in southeast Yemen: Report

[TomSea]

UAE-backed militia responsible for kidnappings in southeast Yemen: Report

Bureau of Investigative Journalism says UAE-controlled militia has taken hundreds of men to airbase, where their fates remain unknown
Emirati armed forces in military show at International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi earlier this year (AFP)
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MEE and agencies
Friday 9 June 2017 23:56 UTC
Last update: Saturday 10 June 2017 0:11 UTC

The United Arab Emirates is responsible for hundreds of kidnappings and forced disappearances in southeast Yemen, according to a Bureau of Investigative Journalism report citing relatives and human rights activists.

Elite Forces, a militia controlled by the UAE, has kidnapped local men from their homes and taken them to al Riyyan airbase, leaving their families in the dark about their fates, the report said.

The abuses have taken place in the city of Mukalla, which was captured by UAE-led forces from al-Qaeda militants in April 2016.

The report, published on Thursday, corroborates UN findings in January that shed light on forced disappearances in southeast Yemen, where UAE forces are active.

The UAE is a part of a Saudi-led coalition fighting against Houthi rebels who control of the capital Sanaa. It has also played a key role in military campaigns against Yemen’s al-Qaeda branch.

...

The Yemeni prisoners are detained on suspicion of links to al-Qaeda, but residents say people had to deal with the militant organisation when it was in control of the city.

The report also cites allegations that some men were kidnapped for ties to the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islah movement.

Continued: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-backed-militia-responsible-kidnappings-southeast-yemen-report-1621081533

What a mixed-up situation.