Saudi-led coalition releases over 100 additional Yemen war prisoners

The Saudi-led military coalition, on Monday (April 17) released 104 more detaineeswho were captured during Yemen’s war. The unilateral decision follows a major organised prisoner swap which had taken place after negotiations between Yemen’s Houthi rebels and government officials and finished on Sunday.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said that it flew two flights carrying a total of 96 released detainees from Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport to Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa. Additionally, a third flight is headed to the government-controlled Aden in the south carrying eight captives, said the ICRC.

The prisoner exchange which ended on Sunday came after a United Nations-brokered deal in line with which more than 700 detained Houthis and over 180 other prisoners, including Saudi and Sudanese troops fighting with the Saudi-led coalition were released. The three-day operation was overseen by the ICRC.

The total number of captives released stood at 973, since Friday. ICRC media adviser Jessica Moussan told AFP that the “unilateral” release of an additional 104 prisoners took place outside the deal. “We welcome this initiative and are pleased to see that humanitarian considerations are being taken for the sake of reuniting families,” said Moussan.

Meanwhile, a statement from Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki who is also a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition acknowledged the release of 104 Houthi detainees and said they “completed” the prisoner exchange.

He added that the “efforts to stabilize the cease-fire and create an atmosphere of dialogue between the Yemeni parties to reach a comprehensive and sustainable political solution that ends the Yemeni crisis," reported the Associated Press,citing the official Saudi Press Agency.

The kingdom has also said that the prisoner releases come as the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have made progress in talks to settle the conflict.The Iran-backed Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014 which prompted a Saudi-led military intervention months later. This triggered a conflict and a major humanitarian crisis where hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives.

Meanwhile, Houthis say both sides will continue their talks after Eid al-Fitr, a holiday later this week that marks the end of Ramadan. This comes as the talks for a more durable ceasefire, last week, ended without a truce but with an agreement to meet again.

(With inputs from agencies)

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