A vast prisoner exchange operation began on Friday (April 14th) in Yemen, between enemy camps, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced. It comes in the midst of regional détente and raises hopes for peace in the war-torn country.

"The first plane left Sanaa" as part of the exchange, Jessica Moussan, the ICRC's media relations officer, who is overseeing the operation, told AFP. The aircraft, leaving the capital controlled by Houthi rebels, is heading towards Aden, where the government is temporarily seated.

By the end of March, the internationally recognized government and Houthi rebels had reached an agreement in Bern to exchange more than 880 prisoners, including Saudis and Sudanese. The last operation of this magnitude dates back to October 2020, when more than 1,000 prisoners were released within 48 hours.

Neighboring Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support pro-government forces against the Iranian-backed Houthis, who in eight years of conflict have seized large swathes of the northern and western territory of the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country.

'A glimmer of hope'

The war has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced, amid epidemics, lack of clean water and acute hunger. More than three-quarters of the population depends on dwindling international aid.

The prisoner exchange process is to take place over three days in various parts of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, the ICRC said in a statement.

"With this gesture of goodwill, hundreds of families torn apart by conflict will be reunited for Ramadan, bringing a glimmer of hope amid great suffering," said Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC's Middle East director, referring to the ongoing Muslim month of fasting.

Quoted in the statement, he said he hoped "these releases give impetus for a broader political solution".

The Bern agreement was reached after an unexpected warming of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, two Gulf heavyweights who oppose each other on various issues, and sometimes even by interposed camps in Middle East conflicts, as in Yemen.

'New talks'

This diplomatic shift has raised hopes of an easing of the situation in Yemen. A rare Saudi delegation was in Sanaa this week. She left on Thursday with only a "preliminary agreement" of truce and the promise of "new talks", according to a rebel official who wished to remain anonymous.

Yemeni government sources, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the talks focused on a six-month truce paving the way for a three-month period of talks on a two-year transition, during which the final solution will be negotiated between all parties.

The truce is intended to meet the two main demands of the rebels: the payment by the government of the salaries of civil servants in rebel areas and the reopening of Sanaa airport, strictly controlled by the Saudi air force.

Last year, the parties had already observed a six-month truce. Although it was not officially renewed after its expiry in early October, the situation on the ground remained relatively calm.

With AFP

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