Security sources confirmed on Monday that Yemen security services managed to foil an attempted break-out at al-Baydha Central Prison this Sunday. The Interior Ministry confirmed that elements within the prison staged a riot, hoping to create enough of a distraction to allow inmates to escape unnoticed.
However, the prison security personnel managed to outsmart the rioters by regaining fast control of the situation and isolate the rioters.
After al-Qaeda successfully staged the escape of dozens of prisoners at Sana’a Central Prison last February, the Interior Ministry has been on high alert, intent on preventing any other attempted escape.
In view of tightening security, the Interior Ministry ordered a broad security inspection of Yemen penitentiaries, beginning with a search of all inmates’ cells. As it happens, when such a search was performed in Mukalla (south-eastern province of Hadhramawt) under the supervision of the deputy director of Prisons Department and vice director of the police conducted a search and inspecting for the prison inmates, 127 violation were registered, underscoring important lapses in the prison security system.
As Yemen has intensified its campaign against al-Qaeda, security and military officials have all pushed for broader and faster reforms as to prevent terrorists from playing into the system by exploiting its weaknesses.
As per noted by security experts, unless terrorists are made to stay in prison, Yemen anti-terror campaign will only ever scratch at the surface.