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ConflictsYemen

Plane flies rebel prisoners from Saudi to Yemen

April 15, 2023

The prisoner exchange, mediated by the Red Cross, has raised hopes for an end to eight years of war in Yemen between rebels backed by Iran and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

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A plane carrying returned Houthi prisoners
The prisoner exchange deal comes after days of talks between Saudi and Houthi officials in SanaaImage: Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images

A flight carrying 120 Houthi rebels held prisoner in Saudi Arabia was bound for Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Saturday.

The flight from the southern Saudi city of Abha took off before 9 a.m. local time  (0600 UTC/GMT) carrying 120 former detainees, ICRC public affairs and media adviser Jessica Moussan said.

The ICRC is mediating the prisoner exchange deal that will see nearly 900 detainees released.

The exchange has raised hopes for ending the ongoing conflict in Yemen between Houthi rebels backed by Iran and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which has been going on for eight years.

Day 2 of prisoner swap

At least three buses took the prisoners to the airport in Abha on Saturday. It was the first of three flights planned for Saturday between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

According to Majid Fadail, the spokesperson for the government delegation that negotiated the exchange, 16 Saudis and three Sudanese were scheduled to be moved from Sanaa to Riyadh on Saturday.

On Friday, 318 prisoners were transported on four flights between government-controlled Aden and the Houthi-held Sanaa, reuniting with their families ahead of next week's Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

A Yemeni Houthi rebel prisoner is greeted
On Friday, 318 prisoners were transported on four flights between government-controlled Aden and the Houthi-held SanaaImage: Mohammed Huwais/AFP/Getty Images

Among those freed were Yemen's former defense minister and the brother of the ex-president.

"Today, we witness the release of the first of some 900 prisoners related to the Yemeni conflict," the ICRC said in a statement.

Eight years of war in Yemen

The prisoner exchange deal comes after days of talks between Saudi and Houthi officials in Sanaa, which has been under Houthi control since 2014.

Saudi Arabia is seeking a permanent ceasefire that could ease its withdrawal from the conflict. The country led a coalition in neighboring Yemen in 2015 in support of then-President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, against the Houthis, who had seized the capital.

The war has left hundreds of thousands dead and has caused food insecurity and a lack of access to health care.

ss/sms (AFP, EFE)