Geneva, 19 April 2023 (GNP): Following the ongoing prisoner exchange between Yemen’s warring parties, The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and a Saudi-led coalition reported that Saudi Arabia unilaterally returned 104 prisoners to Yemen on Monday.
ICRC media adviser Jessica Moussan remarked that “We welcome this initiative and are pleased to see that humanitarian considerations are being taken for the sake of reuniting families”.
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“This will bring immense relief to the families of the detainees,” she added. The ICRC is “facilitating” the prisoner exchange by providing airline services, logistical assistance, and prisoner interviews.
According to the humanitarian group, two ICRC aircraft carrying 48 prisoners each went to Sanaa, Houthis’ held capital, and a third aircraft carrying eight prisoners flew away for government-controlled Aden in the south.
The further release was intended to promote dialogue in ongoing attempts of ending the Yemen war, claimed the Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis, who are affiliated with Iran, forced the government out of the capital Sanaa.
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The Houthi group’s spokesman said Thursday’s peace negotiations in Sanaa with a Saudi delegation, which is seeking a lasting truce to stop military engagement in the conflict, had made progress and that additional meetings will be conducted to resolve remaining issues.
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Yemen’s SABA news reported that Mahdi al-Mashat, the leader of the Houthi Supreme Political Council in Yemen, indicated on Saturday that there will be another round of negotiations following the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which will begin later this week.
In the midst of the peace negotiations, the ICRC oversaw a three-day operation between six cities in Yemen and Saudi Arabia to repatriate over 900 unrest-related prisoners. The operation came to an end on Sunday.
The number of prisoners freed since Friday has increased to 973 with the release of additional 104 prisoners on Monday.
A month after Gulf giants Saudi Arabia and Iran decided to re-establish diplomatic ties, the prisoner exchange and ceasefire discussions took place, generating a wave of reconciliation throughout the crises-plagued region.
A strategy to negotiate a more reliable ceasefire agreement was brought up last week in Sanaa by the Saudi Delegation. The meetings came to an end without a ceasefire but with a commitment to continue negotiating.
Analysts indicate that Saudi Arabia has realized the failure of its extended military assistance in quelling the rebel forces and is ready now to end the Yemen war through dialogue.
