Yemen rebels and government complete prisoner exchange

Yemeni rebels and government forces freed scores of prisoners Sunday, including a woman, on the last of a three-day exchange of nearly 900 detainees, boosting hopes of ending their protracted war.

Five flights carrying nearly 200 detainees from both sides flew between the Huthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and the government-controlled northern city of Marib.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that brought the number of prisoners freed over the three days to 869 under a deal agreed in Switzerland last month.

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 Huthis," government negotiator Majed Fadail confirmed to AFP.

The four journalists had been sentenced to death by the Iran-backed Huthis.

"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."

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 the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

On Saturday, 357 detainees took flights between the Saudi city of Abha and Sanaa. Saudis were among the prisoners freed.

It is not known how many prisoners each side still has.

- Confidence building -

The Huthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting the Saudi-led intervention the following year. Hundreds of thousands have died in the conflict which triggered a major humanitarian crisis.

A UN-brokered ceasefire that started in April 2022 has sharply reduced casualties. The truce expired in October, but fighting has largely remained on hold.

Marib governorate, an oil-rich region, saw some of the most bitter fighting in the last two years.

The city of Marib is the last northern bastion of the government, which is now based in the southern city of Aden.

The prisoner exchange, the largest since more than 1,000 prisoners were freed in October 2020, is a confidence-building measure coinciding with an intense diplomatic push to end the war, as it nears its nine-year mark.

Analysts say Saudi Arabia, which leads the military coalition against the Huthis, now accepts that its prolonged military campaign will not defeat the rebel forces.

The exchange and the truce negotiations come a month after Gulf heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties, sparking a wave of rapprochement across the troubled region.

A Saudi delegation has travelled to rebel-held Sanaa to push for a more durable ceasefire, even as the Huthis generally object to Saudis mediation, insisting the neighbouring kingdom has played a central role in the conflict.

The delegation left on Thursday without a finalised truce but with plans for more talks that the Saudi foreign ministry said on Saturday would take place "as soon as possible".

Rebel political chief Mahdi al-Mashat said the next round of talks with Saudi Arabia would start after Eid al-Fitr expected on April 21, Yemen's Saba news agency reported.

Experts say Riyadh likely seeks security guarantees from Iran, including stopping Huthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi territory.

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© Agence France-Presse

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