Hundreds of Houthi prisoners, 16 Saudis freed on day two of swap
Houthi rebels free 16 Saudis, three Sudanese as Riyadh also releases hundreds of Yemeni prisoners on second day of detainee exchange.
Houthi rebels free 16 Saudis, three Sudanese as Riyadh also releases hundreds of Yemeni prisoners on second day of detainee exchange.
An exchange of nearly 900 prisoners from Yemen's civil war started on April 14, the biggest swap since 2020 [Saleh al-Obeidi/AFP]
Published On 15 Apr 2023
Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Houthi rebels have freed hundreds of prisoners of war as part of a multi-day exchange amid concerted efforts to end Yemen’s eight-year-old war, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Saturday’s first flight left the southern Saudi city of Abha for Yemen’s Houthi-held capital Sanaa with 120 Houthi rebel prisoners, ICRC public affairs and media adviser Jessica Moussan said.
It was followed by a flight from Sanaa to Riyadh carrying 20 former detainees, among them 16 Saudis and three Sudanese, according to the state-affiliated Al Ekhbariya channel.
Sudan is part of the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen and has provided ground troops for the conflict.
Standing on the tarmac at Sanaa International Airport, Mohammed al-Darwi, a Houthi prisoner released in the exchange, told Al Jazeera: “We are happy to return to Sanaa after we were in the prisons of the enemy.”
The Sanaa-Riyadh flight also included a brother and son of Tareq Saleh, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and nephew of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Other flights on Saturday included a second Abha-Sanaa leg with 117 Houthis on board, and three more carrying a combined 100 Houthis to Sanaa from the government-held Yemeni town of Mokha.
The exchange came after 318 prisoners were transported on Friday on four flights between government-controlled Aden and the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, reuniting with their families before next week’s Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
The prisoner exchange, which involves the release of more than 800 prisoners from all sides of the conflict, is a confidence-building measure coinciding with an intense diplomatic push to end Yemen’s war, which has left hundreds of thousands dead from the fighting as well as knock-on effects, such as food shortages and lack of access to healthcare.
Path to peace?
Analysts say eight years after mobilising a coalition to crush the Houthis, the Saudis have come to terms with the fact this goal will not be met and are looking to wind down their military engagement.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was a 29-year-old defence minister when the war began, has since become the kingdom’s de facto ruler and is keen to focus on his sweeping “Vision 2030” domestic reform agenda.
The Saudi exit strategy appears to have taken new impetus from a landmark rapprochement deal announced with Iran last month.
“This [the prisoner swap] is the first concrete result of not only the Omani mediation but also the Iran-Saudi agreement which is beginning to bear fruit in Yemen and elsewhere in the region,” Nabeel Khoury, former US deputy chief of mission in Yemen, told Al Jazeera.
The China-brokered agreement calls for the Middle East heavyweights to fully restore diplomatic ties following a seven-year rupture and has the potential to remake regional ties.
Saudi Arabia is also pushing for the reintegration into the Arab League of Iran ally Syria, more than a decade after its suspension over President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
On Friday, the kingdom, which once openly championed Assad’s removal, hosted top diplomats from eight other Arab countries in the Red Sea city of Jeddah for talks on Syria. It issued a statement highlighting the “importance of having an Arab leadership role in efforts to end the crisis”.
Published On 15 Apr 2023
Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Houthi rebels have freed hundreds of prisoners of war as part of a multi-day exchange amid concerted efforts to end Yemen’s eight-year-old war, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Saturday’s first flight left the southern Saudi city of Abha for Yemen’s Houthi-held capital Sanaa with 120 Houthi rebel prisoners, ICRC public affairs and media adviser Jessica Moussan said.
It was followed by a flight from Sanaa to Riyadh carrying 20 former detainees, among them 16 Saudis and three Sudanese, according to the state-affiliated Al Ekhbariya channel.
Sudan is part of the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen and has provided ground troops for the conflict.
Standing on the tarmac at Sanaa International Airport, Mohammed al-Darwi, a Houthi prisoner released in the exchange, told Al Jazeera: “We are happy to return to Sanaa after we were in the prisons of the enemy.”
The Sanaa-Riyadh flight also included a brother and son of Tareq Saleh, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and nephew of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Other flights on Saturday included a second Abha-Sanaa leg with 117 Houthis on board, and three more carrying a combined 100 Houthis to Sanaa from the government-held Yemeni town of Mokha.
The exchange came after 318 prisoners were transported on Friday on four flights between government-controlled Aden and the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, reuniting with their families before next week’s Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
The prisoner exchange, which involves the release of more than 800 prisoners from all sides of the conflict, is a confidence-building measure coinciding with an intense diplomatic push to end Yemen’s war, which has left hundreds of thousands dead from the fighting as well as knock-on effects, such as food shortages and lack of access to healthcare.
Path to peace?
Analysts say eight years after mobilising a coalition to crush the Houthis, the Saudis have come to terms with the fact this goal will not be met and are looking to wind down their military engagement.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was a 29-year-old defence minister when the war began, has since become the kingdom’s de facto ruler and is keen to focus on his sweeping “Vision 2030” domestic reform agenda.
The Saudi exit strategy appears to have taken new impetus from a landmark rapprochement deal announced with Iran last month.
“This [the prisoner swap] is the first concrete result of not only the Omani mediation but also the Iran-Saudi agreement which is beginning to bear fruit in Yemen and elsewhere in the region,” Nabeel Khoury, former US deputy chief of mission in Yemen, told Al Jazeera.
The China-brokered agreement calls for the Middle East heavyweights to fully restore diplomatic ties following a seven-year rupture and has the potential to remake regional ties.
Saudi Arabia is also pushing for the reintegration into the Arab League of Iran ally Syria, more than a decade after its suspension over President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
On Friday, the kingdom, which once openly championed Assad’s removal, hosted top diplomats from eight other Arab countries in the Red Sea city of Jeddah for talks on Syria. It issued a statement highlighting the “importance of having an Arab leadership role in efforts to end the crisis”.
Returned Houthi prisoners pray on the tarmac upon arrival at Sanaa International Airport [Mohammed Huwais/AFP]
In Yemen, active combat has reduced over the past year following a United Nations-brokered truce that officially lapsed in October but has largely held.
A week ago, a Saudi delegation travelled to Sanaa, held by the Houthis since 2014, for talks aimed at reviving the truce and laying the groundwork for a more durable ceasefire.
The delegation, led by Ambassador Mohammed al-Jaber, left Sanaa late on Thursday without a finalised truce but with plans for more talks, according to Houthi and Yemeni government sources.
Even if Saudi Arabia manages to negotiate a way out of the war, fighting could flare up again among the different Yemeni factions.
“Saudi Arabia has been struggling to draw down its military involvement in Yemen and … seeks a long-term sustainable peace that will allow it to focus on its economic priorities,” said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.
“Yet, despite its intention, it will be the longtime broker, investor and conflict guarantor of Yemen.”
Speaking from Washington, DC, former Yemeni detainee Hisham al-Omeisy agreed while the average Yemeni is desperate for peace, a real end to the war may be a long way still.
“A lot of people think that the end of the war will happen in a few weeks or months. I would caution against that,” he told Al Jazeera.
“It [peace] will take at least a year or two because the conflict is not just between the Houthis and the Saudis. It’s protracted and polarised with many parties and factions inside Yemen that need to be brought into an inclusive, holistic, and comprehensive [peace] process.”
In Yemen, active combat has reduced over the past year following a United Nations-brokered truce that officially lapsed in October but has largely held.
A week ago, a Saudi delegation travelled to Sanaa, held by the Houthis since 2014, for talks aimed at reviving the truce and laying the groundwork for a more durable ceasefire.
The delegation, led by Ambassador Mohammed al-Jaber, left Sanaa late on Thursday without a finalised truce but with plans for more talks, according to Houthi and Yemeni government sources.
Even if Saudi Arabia manages to negotiate a way out of the war, fighting could flare up again among the different Yemeni factions.
“Saudi Arabia has been struggling to draw down its military involvement in Yemen and … seeks a long-term sustainable peace that will allow it to focus on its economic priorities,” said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.
“Yet, despite its intention, it will be the longtime broker, investor and conflict guarantor of Yemen.”
Speaking from Washington, DC, former Yemeni detainee Hisham al-Omeisy agreed while the average Yemeni is desperate for peace, a real end to the war may be a long way still.
“A lot of people think that the end of the war will happen in a few weeks or months. I would caution against that,” he told Al Jazeera.
“It [peace] will take at least a year or two because the conflict is not just between the Houthis and the Saudis. It’s protracted and polarised with many parties and factions inside Yemen that need to be brought into an inclusive, holistic, and comprehensive [peace] process.”
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
By AHMED AL-HAJ and SAMY MAGDY
April 14, 2023
1 of 13
Houthi prisoners are greeted as they arrive to Sanaa airport, Friday, April 14, 2023. An exchange of more than 800 prisoners linked to Yemen's long-running war them began Friday, the International Committee for the Red Cross said. The three-day operations will see flights transport prisoners between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's capital, Sanaa, long held by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
1 of 13
Houthi prisoners are greeted as they arrive to Sanaa airport, Friday, April 14, 2023. An exchange of more than 800 prisoners linked to Yemen's long-running war them began Friday, the International Committee for the Red Cross said. The three-day operations will see flights transport prisoners between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's capital, Sanaa, long held by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
((AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An exchange of more than 800 prisoners linked to Yemen’s long-running war began on Friday, the International Committee for the Red Cross said. The United Nations-brokered deal, in the works for months, comes amid concerted diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict.
The three-day operation will be the most significant prisoner exchange in Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition and their rivals, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, released more than 1,000 detainees in October 2020.
Thousands of people are still believed to be held as prisoners of war since the conflict erupted, with others missing. But Fabrizio Carboni, the Red Cross’ regional director, said the release “gives a sense of momentum” for efforts to end the war.
“This will show that there is no way back to violence,” Carboni told journalists. The Red Cross later said that a total of 318 detainees were released on Friday.
In Sanaa, the Houthi-held capital of Yemen, dozens of former prisoners descended from a plane to a marching band and traditional Yemeni dancers, wearing ribbons with the colors of the Yemeni flag. Family members and a reception line of Houthi political leaders greeted the released with hugs and kisses.
An injured man was seen supported by medical workers. Carboni acknowledged some former prisoners needed medical care before making their flight, but “nothing out of the ordinary.”
Meanwhile, prisoners released by the rebel Houthis took flights to Aden, the seat of the country’s internationally recognized government allied with Saudi Arabia. Two rounds of simultaneous flights Friday between Aden and Sanaa transferred the prisoners.
As part of the exchange, flights will transport prisoners from government-controlled cities inside Yemen and Saudi Arabia to Sanaa, said Majed Fadail, a deputy minister for human rights for Yemen’s government.
Yemen’s conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the country’s north. The internationally recognized government fled to the south and then into exile in Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi takeover prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene months later and the conflict turned into a regional proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with the United States long involved on the periphery, providing intelligence assistance to the kingdom. However, international criticism over Saudi airstrikes killing civilians saw the U.S. pull back its support.
The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
The prisoner exchange had been scheduled to start earlier in the week but was delayed because of apparent logistical reasons.
The deal calls for the Houthis to release more than 180 prisoners, including Saudi and Sudanese troops fighting with the Saudi-led coalition, and four Yemeni journalists. The journalists were detained in recent years and sentenced to death by a Houthi-controlled court in a trial described by Amnesty International as “grossly unfair.”
The deal also includes the release of top military officials held by the Houthis since the start of the war. Among those released Friday were Maj. Gen. Mahmoud al-Subaihi, who was the defense minister when the war erupted, and Nasser Mansour Hadi, the brother of former Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
In return, the Saudi-led coalition and Yemeni government are scheduled to release more than 700 Houthis they hold, the rebels said.
Saudi Arabia has already freed 13 Houthi detainees who returned to Sanaa on April 9, ahead of a trip by Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed bin Saeed al-Jaber, to the Yemeni capital. Including those detainees, the deal should see 869 prisoners released, the Red Cross says.
Al-Jaber’s visit to Sanaa was part of Oman-brokered talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, aiming to revive a nationwide cease-fire that expired in October and relaunch inter-Yemeni peace talks to end the conflict. Those talks concluded on Friday and were “serious and positive,” said Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief Houthi negotiator, adding there will be another round of talks. He didn’t give further details.
A deal last month between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore ties has boosted negotiations between the kingdom and the Houthis and invigorated hopes of a negotiated settlement to the Yemeni conflict.
“You need a form of political courage to agree on a peace plan … and that’s in the hand of the parties,” said Carboni, the Red Cross official.
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. envoy for Yemen, lauded the release and said that “thousands of Yemeni families are still waiting for the return of their loved ones.” He also urged for a U.N.-brokered solution to end the war.
However, some analysts fear that Saudi Arabia’s withdrawal could see a new version of the conflict erupt between Yemen’s rival administrations. There are also secessionists who want to restore a separate country of South Yemen, which existed from 1967 to 1990.
“I see prospects for temporary peace between the Saudis and the Houthis but escalation of violence within Yemen,” said Nadwa Dawsari, a nonresident scholar with the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank.
Yemen also remains home to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, viewed by Washington as a dangerous offshoot of the Islamic extremist group. The group has been able to take advantage of the conflict’s chaos to establish bases in the south of the country.
The Arab world’s most impoverished country, Yemen is also struggling with devastated infrastructure and gutted medical services that the prisoners, many of whom are injured and seriously ill, will be coming home to, said Afrah Nasser, a nonresident fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.
“This is the sad part of this happy news,” she said.
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An exchange of more than 800 prisoners linked to Yemen’s long-running war began on Friday, the International Committee for the Red Cross said. The United Nations-brokered deal, in the works for months, comes amid concerted diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict.
The three-day operation will be the most significant prisoner exchange in Yemen since the Saudi-led coalition and their rivals, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, released more than 1,000 detainees in October 2020.
Thousands of people are still believed to be held as prisoners of war since the conflict erupted, with others missing. But Fabrizio Carboni, the Red Cross’ regional director, said the release “gives a sense of momentum” for efforts to end the war.
“This will show that there is no way back to violence,” Carboni told journalists. The Red Cross later said that a total of 318 detainees were released on Friday.
In Sanaa, the Houthi-held capital of Yemen, dozens of former prisoners descended from a plane to a marching band and traditional Yemeni dancers, wearing ribbons with the colors of the Yemeni flag. Family members and a reception line of Houthi political leaders greeted the released with hugs and kisses.
An injured man was seen supported by medical workers. Carboni acknowledged some former prisoners needed medical care before making their flight, but “nothing out of the ordinary.”
Meanwhile, prisoners released by the rebel Houthis took flights to Aden, the seat of the country’s internationally recognized government allied with Saudi Arabia. Two rounds of simultaneous flights Friday between Aden and Sanaa transferred the prisoners.
As part of the exchange, flights will transport prisoners from government-controlled cities inside Yemen and Saudi Arabia to Sanaa, said Majed Fadail, a deputy minister for human rights for Yemen’s government.
Yemen’s conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of the country’s north. The internationally recognized government fled to the south and then into exile in Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi takeover prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene months later and the conflict turned into a regional proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with the United States long involved on the periphery, providing intelligence assistance to the kingdom. However, international criticism over Saudi airstrikes killing civilians saw the U.S. pull back its support.
The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
The prisoner exchange had been scheduled to start earlier in the week but was delayed because of apparent logistical reasons.
The deal calls for the Houthis to release more than 180 prisoners, including Saudi and Sudanese troops fighting with the Saudi-led coalition, and four Yemeni journalists. The journalists were detained in recent years and sentenced to death by a Houthi-controlled court in a trial described by Amnesty International as “grossly unfair.”
The deal also includes the release of top military officials held by the Houthis since the start of the war. Among those released Friday were Maj. Gen. Mahmoud al-Subaihi, who was the defense minister when the war erupted, and Nasser Mansour Hadi, the brother of former Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
In return, the Saudi-led coalition and Yemeni government are scheduled to release more than 700 Houthis they hold, the rebels said.
Saudi Arabia has already freed 13 Houthi detainees who returned to Sanaa on April 9, ahead of a trip by Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed bin Saeed al-Jaber, to the Yemeni capital. Including those detainees, the deal should see 869 prisoners released, the Red Cross says.
Al-Jaber’s visit to Sanaa was part of Oman-brokered talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, aiming to revive a nationwide cease-fire that expired in October and relaunch inter-Yemeni peace talks to end the conflict. Those talks concluded on Friday and were “serious and positive,” said Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief Houthi negotiator, adding there will be another round of talks. He didn’t give further details.
A deal last month between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore ties has boosted negotiations between the kingdom and the Houthis and invigorated hopes of a negotiated settlement to the Yemeni conflict.
“You need a form of political courage to agree on a peace plan … and that’s in the hand of the parties,” said Carboni, the Red Cross official.
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. envoy for Yemen, lauded the release and said that “thousands of Yemeni families are still waiting for the return of their loved ones.” He also urged for a U.N.-brokered solution to end the war.
However, some analysts fear that Saudi Arabia’s withdrawal could see a new version of the conflict erupt between Yemen’s rival administrations. There are also secessionists who want to restore a separate country of South Yemen, which existed from 1967 to 1990.
“I see prospects for temporary peace between the Saudis and the Houthis but escalation of violence within Yemen,” said Nadwa Dawsari, a nonresident scholar with the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based think tank.
Yemen also remains home to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, viewed by Washington as a dangerous offshoot of the Islamic extremist group. The group has been able to take advantage of the conflict’s chaos to establish bases in the south of the country.
The Arab world’s most impoverished country, Yemen is also struggling with devastated infrastructure and gutted medical services that the prisoners, many of whom are injured and seriously ill, will be coming home to, said Afrah Nasser, a nonresident fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.
“This is the sad part of this happy news,” she said.
Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.
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