Yemeni rebels, govt forces free scores of prisoners as swap deal completed

Yemeni rebels and government forces have freed scores of prisoners on the last of a three-day exchange of nearly 900 detainees, boosting hopes of ending their protracted war.

Planes carrying detainees took off at the same time from the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and the government-controlled northern city of Marib, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Sunday.

Some were taken to the Red Cross planes in wheelchairs. All released prisoners were given plastic bags with food to eat when the daily Ramadan fast was over.

At the airport in Sanaa, Houthi fighters staged a ceremonial dance with swords to greet their comrades.

"Forty-eight former detainees were on board the Marib-Sanaa flight, and 42 on the Sanaa-Marib flight," ICRC media adviser Jessica Moussan told AFP news agency.

READ MORE: Plane flies rebels from Saudi Arabi to Yemen on day two of prisoner swap

Hundreds of thousands lives lost

Four journalists sentenced to death by the Iranian-backed Houthis are part of the exchange, said government negotiator Majed Fadail.

Rebel political chief, Mahdi al Mashat, said the next round of talks with Saudi Arabia, which leads the military coalition against the Houthis, would start after Eid al Fitr expected on April 21, Yemen's Saba news agency reported.

The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting the Saudi-led intervention the following year.
Hundreds of thousands have died in the conflict which triggered a major humanitarian crisis.

A UN-brokered ceasefire that started in April 2022 has sharply reduced casualties. The truce expired in October, but fighting has largely remained on hold.

Marib governorate, an oil-rich region, saw some of the most bitter fighting in the last two years.

Diplomatic push to end the war

The city of Marib is the last northern bastion of the government, which is now based in the southern city of Aden.

The prisoner exchange is a confidence-building measure coinciding with an intense diplomatic push to end the war, as it nears its nine-year mark.

"Let us not forget the real purpose of these releases: reuniting loved ones," said the ICRC's Moussan.

"These past three days have brought back joy to so many shattered families who have been torn apart by conflict. We only hope more of these releases will happen in the near future."

The exchange and the truce negotiations come a month after Gulf heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties, sparking a wave of rapprochement across the troubled region.

READ MORE: Yemen's warring sides begin prisoner swap of nearly 900 detainees: ICRC