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Some 128 Yemeni rebels were released Thursday (November 28th) by Saudi Arabia. The International Committee of the Red Cross repatriated them to Sanaa. They were greeted by Houthi rebel leaders and their families.
They arrived at Sanaa airport aboard three ICRC planes. Some were in wheelchairs, others raised parts of their white dresses to show their wounds to journalists, reports Agence France-Presse.
" The treatment we received (in Saudi Arabia) was very bad, " says a former prisoner of 35 years, Abdel Raqib al-Abadi. " My feelings are indescribable. May God bring all the wounded and prisoners back to their mothers and their families, "said the mother of another ex-detainee.
Nathalie Bekdache is the ICRC spokesperson in Yemen. For her, this new release is a good sign. " We are very happy to see that from now on, some prefer humanitarian considerations: this is probably shown by these releases, " she told RFI.
" We hope this indicates something positive for the future. Of course, to verify it, we will have to wait. We are still hoping for more releases, and we are always ready to act as neutral middlemen , "she adds.
For us, these liberations greatly alleviate the suffering of Yemenis: especially for families who no longer see theirs or who do not even know where they are. So these releases bring them a lot of joy. In January, seven Yemenis had already been released and a Saudi national repatriated; between April and August, 31 minors detained in Saudi Arabia were able to reunite with their families; 290 detainees were unilaterally released on 30 September, and today these 128 prisoners leave Saudi Arabia. All these releases have been facilitated by the ICRC. We hope that they will have weight on the different parts, and that in the end they will lead to a political solution for the conflict in Yemen
Nathalie Bekdache, International Committee of the Croix-Rousse 29/11/2019 - by Christophe Paget Play
Efforts to end the war in the country
The Yemeni conflict has been going on since 2015, between the Houthi rebels, who have seized in particular the country's capital, Sanaa and the Saudi-led coalition, in support of forces loyal to the government.
Efforts are multiplying to end the war . The repatriation follows a decline in rebel attacks on neighboring Saudi Arabia. In early November, statements by a Saudi official revealed the existence of a channel of discussion to end the war .
Deadly violence continues in Yemen
On Tuesday, the coalition declared that 200 Houthi prisoners would soon be released. But at the same time, the violence continues, albeit with less intensity. According to the UN, at least 10 civilians were killed on Wednesday in northern Saada.
A week earlier, ten civilians had already lost their lives in the same place, including Ethiopian migrants. Meanwhile, on Monday, eight rebels were killed in coalition air raids in western Hodeida, local officials said.
By 2018, the belligerents had agreed to exchange 15,000 prisoners under an agreement signed in Sweden under the auspices of the United Nations . All the clauses of this agreement, however, had not been applied.
Since 2015, the war in Yemen has reportedly killed tens of thousands, mostly civilians. About 3.3 million people are still displaced, and 24.1 million, two-thirds of the population, need assistance according to the UN. The United Nations speaks of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.