Yemen government and Houthis complete major prisoner exchange: ICRC
- 16 Apr 2023
Yemen’s warring sides on Sunday wrapped up a major exchange of prisoners linked to the country’s long-running conflict, according to the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC).
Five flights carrying nearly 200 detainees from both sides flew between the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and the government-controlled northern city of Marib.
The ICRC said that brought the number of prisoners freed over the three days to 869 under a deal agreed in Switzerland last month.
The three-day operation, which started on Friday, was the most significant prisoner exchange in Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition and their rivals, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, released more than 1,000 detainees in October 2020.
The UN-brokered deal involved the release of over 700 detained Houthis, and more than 180 other prisoners, including Saudi and Sudanese troops fighting with the Saudi-led coalition.
The Red Cross said it "worked tirelessly to reunite about 900 former detainees with their families,” describing the prisoner exchange as a "positive step toward peace and reconciliation in Yemen.”
The prisoner exchange deal involved the release of top military officials held by the Houthis since the start of the war. Those released included Maj. Gen.
Mahmoud Al Subaihi, who was the defense minister when the war erupted; Nasser Mansour Hadi, the brother of former Yemeni president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi; and relatives of Yemen's former ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The Houthis on Saturday freed Saudi and Sudanese troops whom the rebels detained while fighting on the side of the Saudi-led coalition.
The rebels also freed four Yemeni journalists who were detained and sentenced to death in recent years by a Houthi-controlled court in a trial described by Amnesty International as "grossly unfair.”
Among those exchanged on Sunday was one woman, Samira March, whom government forces detained five years ago and accused of organising explosions that killed dozens, a government official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "She was freed in exchange for the release of journalists held by the Houthis," government negotiator Majed Fadail confirmed to AFP. The four journalists had been sentenced to death by the Iran-backed Houthis.
"Let us not forget the real purpose of these releases: reuniting loved ones," ICRC media adviser Jessica Moussan told AFP.
"These past three days have brought back joy to so many shattered families who have been torn apart by conflict. We only hope more of these releases will happen in the near future."
EMOTIONAL DANCE
Some of those released on Sunday were taken to the Red Cross aircraft in wheelchairs. Those boarding at Marib were given plastic bags containing food for when the daily Ramadan fast was over.
At the airport in Sanaa, Huthi fighters staged a ceremonial dance with swords to greet their comrades.
On Friday, 318 prisoners were transported on four flights between Sanaa and government-controlled Aden, reuniting detainees with their families just before Eid Al Fitr.
On Saturday, 357 detainees took flights between the Saudi city of Abha and Sanaa. Saudis were among the prisoners freed.
The prisoner exchange came as the Houthis and Saudi Arabia said they have made progress in their negotiations to revive an expired cease-fire and embark on talks to settle the conflict.
The Houthis said both sides would continue their talks after the approaching holiday of Eid Al Fitr, which marks the end of the Holy Month Ramadan, later in April.
Agencies