SANNA: A government official said on Wednesday that a swap of about 900 prisoners from Yemen’s war would start on Friday. According to AFP, no reason was given for the postponement of the 3-day swap, in which detainees will be flown between cities in Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
The biggest prisoner exchange since 2020 will take place following a delegation from KSA, which launched military action in 2015, held dialogues with Yemen’s Huthi rebels this week to end the conflict. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have been killed in the war in Yemen.
Yemen Prisoner Swap will start on Friday: Official
A 6-month UN-brokered cease-fire that formally failed in October is still mainly holding.
A government official tweeted that the swap process will start on Friday. He further said that the prisoner exchange “will last for 3 days, starting on Friday and concluding on Sunday.
The Huthis are freeing 181 detainees, including Sudanese and Saudis, in exchange for 706 prisoners held by government forces as per an agreement reached in March in Switzerland.
Yemen has been in conflict since 2014 when Huthis seized the capital Sanaa, leading the alliance to intervene in March 2015 to assist the ousted, internationally recognized government in the country.
The Saudi envoy to Yemen, Mohammed Al-Jaber, visited Sanaa for dialogue with the Huthis in the current week, adding he wanted to work towards a “political settlement” to the war.
Earlier, the US special Ambassador for Yemen, Tim Lenderking said that Yemen is going to witness an extraordinary chance for peace. Tim Lenderking will hold meetings with Yemeni, Saudi, and global partners to discuss the necessary measures to secure a long-term ceasefire and comprehensive, UN-mediated political process.
