ICRC facilitates transport of prisoners to Yemen
More than 100 prisoners of war returned to Yemen on Monday from Saudi Arabia, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Two ICRC planes, each carrying 48 prisoners, left for Sanaa, while eight other detainees boarded a third flight for Aden, the major southern city where the Yemeni government is based.
A spokesperson said the Geneva-based ICRC was providing airlift and logistical support, and arranging interviews with the released detainees. The operation, which comes just days before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, brings the number of detainees released since Friday to 973.
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The exchange of detainees this weekend was part of a deal struck in March in Geneva between the Yemeni government, backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
It is the biggest release since October 2020, when more than 1,000 prisoners were freed. It raises hopes for peace in a conflict that has plunged Yemen into a deep humanitarian crisis, left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced, according to the UN.
A six-month UN-brokered truce that began in April 2022 was not renewed when it expired in October, but the situation on the ground has remained calm, offering a respite to the population.
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