Yemen’s warring sides begin prisoner swap of nearly 900 detainees: ICRC

A major exchange of prisoners from Yemen’s brutal civil war has began with the first plane departing rebel-held Sanaa for government-controlled Aden, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

“The first flight from Sanaa has left,” ICRC media adviser Jessica Moussan told AFP news agency on Friday, signalling the start of a three-day operation that will see nearly 900 prisonersr eleased.

More than 300 prisoners will fly between the two cities on Friday. Later, detainees will also be released in Marib and Mokha, and in Riyadh and Abha in neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

The exchange is further evidence of a decrease in tensions after truce talks were held in Sanaa this week between the Houthi rebels and a delegation from Saudi Arabia, the government’s main military ally.

The Iran-backed Houthis seized control of Sanaa in 2014, ousting the internationally recognised government and triggering a Saudi-led military intervention the following March.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed by direct and indirect causes in a war that has sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to United Nations (UN) estimates.

Last month, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish official ties after a seven-year split, an announcement that has quickly redrawn the diplomatic map.

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Seeking permanent ceasefire

Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition that has been battling the Iranian-aligned group since 2015, is seeking a permanent ceasefire agreement to end its military involvement in the war.

Two Yemeni sources said the Saudi team departed Sanaa on Thursday following a visit that signalled movement to build on an expired UN-brokered truce.

Houthi politburo official Mohammed al Bukhaiti described the negotiations as “going well”. 

Another Houthi official, Abdulmalik Alejri, said on Twitter that “with determination and honest intentions remaining difficulties can be resolved”.

Sources have told Reuters that the Saudi-Houthi talks facilitated by Oman are focused on a ceasefire, full reopening of Houthi-controlled ports and Sanaa airport, payment of public sector wages, rebuilding efforts, and the withdrawal of foreign forces from Yemen.

Two Yemeni sources, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the parties could agree on an extended truce deal as they work out remaining differences.

The main sticking points include payment of civil servant salaries, which the Houthis have insisted include armed forces, using oil revenue and a timeline for foreign forces to exit the country, three sources familiar with the negotiations said.

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