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An unlawful detention center amid military barracks
On the eastern side of the city of Mukalla, in Hadramawt Governorate, eastern Yemen, lies the unofficial detention center known as Al-Rabwa Camp. It is located in an elevated mountainous area known as “Khalf Hill,” overlooking directly the city of Mukalla, its port, and the Arabian Sea, granting it a strategic location with a clear security character.
The geographical features of the Rabwa area contribute significantly to the site’s isolation, as it appears detached from the city’s urban extension and is surrounded by roads with limited access, making it by nature a closed location that is easily controlled from a security standpoint.
The building currently used as a detention center in Al-Rabwa was not originally constructed as a prison or as a facility designated for the deprivation of liberty. Rather, it was part of the headquarters of the Second Military Region Command and included military barracks and administrative offices affiliated with the Yemeni army. The site was designed to serve a purely military function, which inherently rendered it a fortified and closed location inaccessible to civilians, even before Al-Qaeda took control of Mukalla in April 2015.
On 24 April 2016, the city of Mukalla witnessed a large-scale military operation that resulted in ending Al-Qaeda’s control over the city. Following the restoration of security control, a number of existing military sites—including Al-Rabwa Camp—were incorporated into new security arrangements. In this context, the site was transformed from a military headquarters into a heavily guarded security detention center designated to hold large numbers of individuals suspected of affiliation with the organization, whether apprehended during military operations or in subsequent security campaigns.
The detention center, which is under the direct supervision of the Saudi/UAE-led Coalition, is situated within the perimeter of camps responsible for the protection of companies and oil facilities in the “Khalf” area, which is considered a zone of high security sensitivity. The surrounding area is classified as a closed military zone, with security checkpoints spread along the roads leading to it and strict restrictions imposed on movement and entry. As a result of these measures, access to the site has been limited to specific categories of individuals, while it has remained shielded from any independent monitoring or effective civilian or judicial oversight.
The nature of the site and its security procedures indicate its character as a detention center with a security and intelligence profile, where detention affairs are managed outside the legal framework regulating places of deprivation of liberty. There are no indications that, since its establishment as a detention center, the site has been subject to any formal legal procedures defining its status, regulating its operations, or placing it under regular judicial supervision, which places it within the category of unofficial detention centers.
Mwatana for Human Rights documented the detention of at least nine victims at the unofficial “Al-Rabwa” detention center, including seven victims who were subjected to multiple forms of physical and psychological torture, and two victims of enforced disappearance for extended periods.
Mwatana for Human Rights affirms that the continued operation of unlawful detention centers, such as the Al-Rabwa detention center, constitutes a clear violation of the principle of the rule of law and undermines the fundamental guarantees of human rights. The organization stresses the necessity of fully closing such centers and ensuring that no military or civilian facilities are reused as detention centers outside the legally regulated framework.
Mwatana further emphasizes the importance of placing all detention facilities under full judicial oversight, enabling the competent authorities to exercise their supervisory role without obstruction, and ensuring legal accountability for any past violations, as well as redress and reparation for victims. This includes disclosing the fate of forcibly disappeared persons, bringing those responsible for these violations to justice, and adopting effective measures to guarantee the non-recurrence of such violations in the future.
