conflicts
Yemen: Warring parties begin prisoner swaps
Armed Houthi fighters in Sanna (archive). photo
© Hani Mohammed/AP/dpa
Around 900 prisoners are exchanged between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels. The action could pave the way for a political solution to the conflict.
In the civil war-torn country of Yemen, the government and the Houthi rebels have begun exchanging around 900 prisoners. The transfer of all people will take three days, said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Those affected were examined in advance for their fitness to travel.
Two planes from the government-controlled port city of Aden with a total of 249 people on board are en route to the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa. Two other machines transporting 69 former prisoners also left Sanaa for Aden. The agreement on the prisoner exchange was preceded by negotiations under the supervision of the United Nations in Geneva.
In 2020, the Red Cross enabled the largest exchange of prisoners to date. At that time, more than 1000 prisoners were released within two days. Now the Houthi rebels are to release around 180 prisoners, some from Saudi Arabia and Sudan. In return, the government, on whose side Saudi Arabia is fighting the Houthis, is to release around 700 prisoners.
Former defense minister Mahmoud al-Subaihi and a high-ranking military representative of the government have already been released and have arrived in Aden, government sources said. Arab media released footage showing people in both cities being greeted upon arrival by happy relatives.
Thanks to the compromise between the government and the Houthis, hundreds of families can now celebrate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr) together, stressed UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg. He called on both sides to release all people detained in the course of the conflict. “Thousands more families are still waiting to be reunited with their loved ones.”
Yemen is located in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran the impoverished country in 2014. Today they dominate large parts of the north, including the capital Sanaa. All efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict in Yemen have so far failed. However, the recent rapprochement between the two rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran is now raising hopes of a breakthrough. At a recent meeting with representatives from Saudi Arabia, the Shiite Houthi rebels openly called for an end to the civil war.