CAIRO (AP) — Riots have broken out in a government-run prison in Yemen's eastern city of Mukalla.
Gunfire rang out Tuesday from the Central Prison of Mukalla, where more than 100 inmates had been transferred from a detention center run by the United Arab Emirates at the nearby Riyan airport. The Associated Press has documented rampant abuses at the Riyan detention center.
A detainee told the AP that at least 40 detainees have been on hunger strike for more than 10 days, demanding the release of inmates who have been acquitted and trials for those held without charge for nearly two years.
Yemeni security officials described rioters as al-Qaida members who wanted to escape the prison. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the press.
