The start of the largest prisoner exchange process between the legitimacy and the Houthis
English - Thursday 15 October 2020 الساعة 04:28 pm
Seiyun, NewsYemen, Exclusive:
On Thursday, in the city of Seiyun in Hadhramaut Governorate, the implementation of the largest exchange of prisoners and detainees between the legitimate government and the Houthi militia, the Iranian arm in Yemen, under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The first day of the prisoner exchange will include the release of 480 Houthi prisoners in exchange for 250 from the legitimate government, while on Friday, 200 Houthi prisoners will be released in exchange for 251 prisoners by the government.
The army prisoners arrived at Seiyun International Airport on board an International Red Cross plane, from Sana'a airport, while the Houthi prisoners arrived in Seiyun by land from Marib and were transported by Red Cross plane to Sana'a.
Last month, the government reached a partial agreement with the Houthi militia, at the conclusion of consultations in Switzerland under the auspices of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to release 1,081 prisoners and detainees from both sides, including 15 Saudis and 4 Sudanese.
This agreement is considered a prelude to completing the release of all prisoners and detainees based on the Stockholm agreement and in accordance with the "all for all" rule.
It is noteworthy that the agreement came after three rounds of negotiations in the Jordanian capital, Amman, where it was agreed to release 1,420 prisoners and detainees on both sides, but the government accused the Houthi group of obstructing its implementation and disavowing it, according to what was said by officials in the government negotiating delegation.
The two parties had submitted lists during the conclusion of the Stockholm Agreement in late 2018, containing more than 15,000 names, while local mediation succeeded since that date in concluding deals that resulted in the exchange of hundreds of prisoners and kidnapped people.
