Yemen prisoner swap begins as first plane departs

Sanaa [Yemen], April 14 (ANI): The release and swap of nearly 900 detainees by the two sides in Yemen’s conflict began on Friday, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Taking to Twitter, ICRC Yemen said, “A plane chartered by the ICRC took off from #Sanaa to #Aden, carrying 125 former detainees. An ICRC plane took off from #Sana to #Adele, carrying 35 former detainees. A number of ICRC staff are on board the two planes, and they receive support from @YemenCrescent and @mediasrcaen.”
Earlier on Thursday, ICRC, in a statement, said, “The ICRC’s role is to ensure that humanitarian principles are respected and that detainees are treated with humanity throughout the release and transfer process. ICRC teams have assessed the health of the detainees and confirmed that they are fit to travel. They will also accompany them during their journey and tend to any medical needs along the way. The ICRC will use its planes to fly detainees into and out of multiple cities in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.”

“The Yemen Red Crescent Society (YRCS) and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) will also play vital roles in assisting the detainees. Their medical staff and volunteers will help detainees with disabilities on and off the planes and provide first aid and ambulance services where needed,” it added.

The release operation is the result of talks concluded on March 20, 2023 in Bern, Switzerland, where the parties to the conflict in Yemen finalized the plan for the release. The ICRC co-chaired these meetings with the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESGY).

“With this act of goodwill, hundreds of families torn apart by conflict are being reunited during the holy month of Ramadan, providing a glimmer of hope amidst great suffering. Our deep desire is that these releases provide momentum for a broader political solution, leading to even more detainees returning to their loved ones,” said Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC’s regional director for the Near and Middle East.

Earlier, the head of the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs, Abdul Qadir Al-Murtada, confirmed that the first batch of the Ramadan deal will arrive today, Friday, from Aden Airport, numbering 250 prisoners and detainees, according to Houthi-controlled media Saba reported.

Al-Murtada, in a tweet on the social networking site “Twitter”, called on everyone to adopt the statements bearing the logo of the National Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs and not to deal with any other statements.

The Houthis seized control of Sanaa in 2014, ousting the internationally recognized government and triggering an Arab-led military intervention the following March.

Since its outbreak, the conflict in Yemen has been fought on a battlefield where Riyadh and Tehran have supported opposing parties. The Arab Coalition was established by Saudi Arabia to defend the Yemeni government, which is recognised internationally, militarily against the Houthi movement, which is backed by Iran, reported Al Arabiya News.

Arab and Western governments have long accepted that Iran supplied weapons to the Houthi militia, which was then used to launch cross-border strikes primarily against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Throughout the years, the regional warships of the US and the UK have successfully stopped numerous shipments of weapons built in Iran aboard ships bound for Yemen.

Analysts have hailed the significant diplomatic achievement as a huge step towards resolving several regional military crises.