Yemen prisoner exchange begins amid peace talks

Sanaa/Aden — The release and swap of nearly 900 detainees by the two sides in Yemen’s devastating war began on Friday and continued through the weekend after almost a decade of conflict.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was managing the process, a crucial confidence-building measure amid peace talks between Saudi envoys and the Houthi group.

The first of two simultaneous exchange flights landed in the government city of Aden, carrying 35 people, and in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, carrying 125, about midday on Friday.

The ICRC said its planes would be used to carry the released detainees between six cities in Yemen and Saudi Arabia over coming days.

“This release operation comes at a time of hope for Yemen as a reminder that constructive dialogue and mutual compromises are powerful tools capable of achieving great outcomes,” the UN Yemen envoy Hans Grundberg said.

Warring parties agreed at negotiations in Switzerland in March to free 887 detainees and to meet again in May to discuss further releases.

“Our deep desire is that these releases provide momentum for a broader political solution,” said Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC’s regional director.

Yemen’s conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left millions hungry, has widely been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Iran-aligned Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa in 2014.

Riyadh and Tehran in March agreed to restore diplomatic ties severed in 2016, raising hopes that Yemen’s peace process would see progress.

A Saudi delegation on Thursday concluded peace talks in Sanaa with the Houthi movement whose officials cited progress and said further discussions were needed to iron out remaining differences.

Reuters