According to the Saudi Arabian-led coalition fighting in Yemen, they released 163 prisoners from Yemen’s Houthi rebel group who fought against the Kingdom as part of the humanitarian initiative.
According to the coalition spokesperson General Turki al-Malki, the team had already started measures to release the prisoners in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross, and local Saudi media carried out this statement.
Al-Malki said that they took this initiative intending to support United Nations efforts to harden a two-month ceasefire that went into effect on April 2, “prepare the atmosphere for dialogue between the Yemeni sides and facilitate closing the prisoners and detainees file”.
This Thursday, UN special representative ‘Hans Grundberg’ wrote on Twitter that the parties had restated their commitment to supporting the nationwide ceasefire, the most significant step in years towards ending the seven-year conflict.
A prospective prisoner swap under UN auspices had also been proposed by the warring parties. Last month, a Houthi official stated that 1,400 Houthi captives might be released in exchange for 823 coalition inmates, including 16 Saudis and three Sudanese.
According to the statement of the official, Abdul Qader al-Murtada, head of the Houthi prisoner affairs committee, the group of Houthi made a new offer to the UN that includes freeing nearly 200 prisoners from each side before the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday starting next week.
The last major prisoner exchange, involving around 1,000 detainees, occurred in 2020 as part of confidence-building steps agreed upon at the previous peace talks held in 2018.
The coalition interfered in Yemen in March 2015 in a bid to support the internationally recognised government after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa.
Due to war, tens of thousands of people lost their lives, devastated the economy and pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. The truce deal also included allowing fuel imports into Houthi-held areas and operating some flights from Sanaa airport.
Moreover, the flights have still to start, with the Saudi-backed authorities insisting all passengers carry government-issued passports.