The Abductees’ Mothers Association is closely monitoring the political and security developments in the interim capital, Aden. In this context, the Association affirms that any steps toward political or security stability will remain incomplete unless the file of grave human rights violations, foremost among them enforced disappearances and secret prisons, is fully addressed.
Accordingly, the Association stresses the importance of prioritizing the issue of the forcibly disappeared in the city of Aden during the current phase including in the ongoing dialogue conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between Yemen’s political components.Dozens of families continue to endure prolonged psychological and humanitarian suffering due to the unknown fate of their sons, who are believed to be held in secret detention facilities. Their whereabouts have remained unknown for more than ten years, as we enter 2026, constituting a serious and systematic violation of basic human values and a clear breach of international human rights law.
The Association further affirms that the secret prisons established over recent years, previously under the control of forces affiliated with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, represented one of the most dangerous patterns of abuse. These facilities were sites of enforced disappearances and unlawful detention, carried out without judicial warrants or independent judicial oversight, as documented by multiple UN and international reports.
While the Association notes that the state now declares it has consolidated political and security control over Aden, this places an urgent legal and moral responsibility upon it to address this file without delay. This includes disclosing the fate of all forcibly disappeared persons, securing their immediate release in accordance with the law, and holding all those responsible for these violations accountable.
The Abductees’ Mothers Association calls on the UN Special Envoy to Yemen not to overlook the issue of enforced disappearances and secret prisons in any upcoming consultations or political processes, and to make it a core, non-deferrable item, as it is a humanitarian and human rights issue that admits no compromise.
The Association also urges His Excellency the Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, in line with his constitutional and humanitarian responsibilities, to take practical and urgent steps to resolve this file, provide justice to victims and their families, and ensure that such crimes are not repeated in the future.
Issued by: Abductees’ Mothers Association
11/January/2026