Sunday marked the conclusion of a three-day exchange of nearly 900 prisoners between Yemeni rebels and government forces, boosting hopes for an end to their protracted civil conflict.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that planes transporting detainees departed simultaneously from the Houthi-held capital of Sanaa and the government-held northern city of Marib.
“The first flight from Marib and the first flight from Sanaa have left,” ICRC media adviser Jessica Moussan told AFP. “Forty-eight former detainees were on board the Marib-Sanaa flight, and 42 were on board the Sanaa-Marib flight.”
Three more aircraft were expected to meet last month’s Swiss agreement to exchange 181 government personnel for 706 militants.
According to government negotiator Majed Fadail, the exchange includes four journalists sentenced to death by Iranian-backed Houthis.
According to Yemen’s Saba news agency, rebel political leader Mahdi al-Mashat stated that the next round of talks with Saudi Arabia, which heads the military coalition against the Houthis, would begin after the Eidul Fitr holiday on April 21.
The final negotiations concluded hours before 318 prisoners were transported on four aircraft between government-controlled Aden and Sanaa on Friday, reuniting prisoners with their families.
Saturday, 357 detainees flew between the Saudi city of Abha and the Yemeni city of Sanaa. Saudis were among the released detainees.
It is unknown how many captives remain on each side.
Sanaa was occupied by the Houthis in 2014, which prompted the Saudi-led intervention the following year. The conflict has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and a significant humanitarian crisis.
An April 2022 armistice brokered by the United Nations has drastically reduced casualties. The cease-fire ended in October, but violence has largely ceased.
Marib, an oil-rich governorate, has seen the fiercest fighting in the last two years. Marib is the last northern stronghold of the government, which is now headquartered in Aden in the south.
