Saudis among dozens of Yemen war prisoners freed on day two of swap
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Sulaiman
- . April 15, 2023
- . Update: April 16, 2023 3:31 am
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, a number of war prisoners, including Saudis, were freed on Saturday as part of a landmark cross-border swap between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia and a Saudi-led military coalition.
The flights connecting the Kingdom and Yemen’s Houthi-held territory were part of a multi-day cross-border transfer involving roughly 900 prisoners that comes against a backdrop of intense diplomatic push which has raised hopes for an end to the years-long deadly conflict in Yemen.
The eight-year-long brutal war has left hundreds of thousands dead and triggered one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Nevertheless, while an UN-brokered truce officially lapsed in October last year, fighting has largely been on hold so far.
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The total number of detainees on both sides is unknown. As part of the ongoing exchange, 318 prisoners of war were transported on Friday on four flights between Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa and government-controlled Aden, reuniting with their families ahead of Eid Al-Fitr.
On Saturday, the first flight took off from Abha in Saudi Arabia before 9 am, headed for Sanaa with 120 Houthi militia prisoners, said Jessica Moussan, public affairs and media adviser of ICRC.
It was followed by a flight carrying 20 former detainees, including 16 Saudis and three Sudanese, from Sanaa. Sudan is also a part of the Saudi-led coalition and has provided ground troops for the intense fighting in Yemen.
Additionally, 100 Houthis were due to be carried on three flights to the Yemeni capital from Mokha, a town held by Yemen’s coalition-backed government.
