Yemen’s government and rebels released a new group of detainees on Sunday (April 16th), including a woman, on the final day of a major prisoner swap amid talks aimed at ending more than eight years of war.
Five planes carrying nearly 200 prisoners from both sides made the connection between the capital Sanaa, in the hands of the insurgents since 2014, and Marib, the last bastion of power in the north of the country.
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This brings the number of prisoners freed over three days to 869 under a deal struck in March in Switzerland between the government, backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, and Iran-friendly Houthi rebels. , according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
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Among them, only one woman, Samira March, arrested five years ago by loyalist forces and accused of having organized attacks with explosives that left dozens dead, said a government official on condition of anonymity.
“She was released in exchange for the release of journalists detained by the Houthis”Majid Fadael, spokesman for the government delegation responsible for negotiating the exchange, told AFP.
Biggest trade since 2020
At Marib airport, the ex-detainees boarded ICRC planes, some in wheelchairs, loaded with bags of provisions for breaking the Ramadan fast, while in Sanaa, Houthi fighters made a traditional dance to welcome their comrades.
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The operation began on Friday with the release of 318 prisoners, including the former defense minister and the brother of Yemen’s former president.
On Saturday, nearly 350 rebels returned to Sanaa from Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni city of Mokha, while 16 Saudis and three Sudanese, nationals of member countries of the coalition, had arrived in Riyadh, the Saudi capital.
“The past three days have brought joy to many families torn apart by the conflict. We hope for further releases in the near future”Jessica Moussan, ICRC media relations officer, told AFP.
This exchange, the largest since the release of more than 1,000 prisoners in October 2020, comes against a backdrop of growing hopes for peace in this conflict which has plunged the country into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
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Hundreds of thousands dead
The war in Yemen has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced, according to the UN, in a context of epidemics, lack of drinking water and acute hunger.
A UN-brokered six-month truce was not renewed when it expired in October, but the situation remained calm on the ground, offering respite to the population.
Last week, a Saudi delegation, accompanied by Omani mediators, traveled to Sanaa for talks aimed at reviving the truce and laying the foundations for a more durable ceasefire.
The discussions were « positives » and new talks are planned after Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting in a few days, the chairman of the political council of the Houthi rebels, Mahdi al-Mashat, said on Saturday.
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The Saudi Foreign Ministry said earlier that talks “will continue as soon as possible in order to reach a comprehensive political solution”.
Hopes for peace in this country, the poorest in the Arabian Peninsula, have been revived by the unexpected rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which announced in March its intention to restore diplomatic relations after seven years. a break.
