900 prisoners exchanged between Yemen and Saudi Arabia

Both countries have taken unfair steps against the Yemen-Saudi peace talks agreement. For the first time, about 900 prisoners from both sides were released and exchanged together. A notable example is the exchange of prisoners as part of the Yemen-Saudi peace deal.

Yemeni rebel group Houthis and Saudi Arabia have exchanged prisoners for the first time. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday (April 14) about 900 prisoners from both sides had been released and exchanged.

Witnesses and Houthi-run al-Masirah television said the first two flights landed simultaneously around noon on Friday, carrying 35 people in the government-held city of Aden and 125 in the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa.

The ICRC is responsible for managing the process of release and exchange of prisoners. The international agency said its (ICRC) planes will be used to transport released prisoners to six cities in Yemen and Saudi Arabia over the next few days.

Yemen's warring parties agreed to release 887 prisoners at a meeting in Switzerland last month. They later agreed to meet again in May to discuss the release of other prisoners.

Many consider this exchange of so many prisoners to be an important step to build confidence in the ongoing peace talks between the Saudis and the Houthi group. Fabrizio Carboni, regional director of the ICRC, said that the release of the prisoners has created our deep desire for a greater political solution. Hundreds of families separated by the conflict are reuniting as a result of goodwill on both sides. We hope that the prisoner exchange will accelerate the resolution of the Saudi-Yemen conflict.

It should be noted that thousands of people have lost their lives in Yemen's long-running conflict and millions of people are facing famine. This war is considered as a 'proxy war' between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iran-backed Houthi rebels overthrew the ruling government in 2014 and seized control of Sanaa. Later, the Saudi-led military coalition launched a military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen.

Last month, Riyadh and Tehran agreed to restore diplomatic ties that were severed in 2016. This has led to hope for an end to the long-running Yemen crisis.

A delegation from Saudi Arabia concluded peace talks with Houthi rebels in Sanaa on Thursday (April 13). After the meeting, the officials of both sides said that significant progress has been made in the discussion. However, further discussion is needed to resolve remaining disagreements on some issues.

Al-Jazeera reported that the prisoner exchange deal was carried out under the auspices of the UN envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, and the ICRC. It was the latest in a series of meetings under the UN-brokered treaty known as the Stockholm Agreement.

Source: Al-Jazeera

Read More