President of the Red Cross: Preparations for the exchange of detainees in Yemen have ended

The ICRC team has completed its logistical preparations for the exchange of detainees in Yemen between the Huthis and the government, and the obligation to investigate the fate of missing persons on both sides of the conflict, ICRC President Peter Maor said.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Maor said the lists provided by the parties included about 16,000 names, and that the real figure verified was much lower, and could reach about 2,000.

He added that the humanitarian situation in Yemen remains unstable and that it is difficult to deliver humanitarian aid to those in need due to continued fighting in different areas.

Last month's talks between representatives of the Yemeni government and the Houthis in the Swedish capital led to an agreement that included several points, some of which concerned the exchange of prisoners and detainees on both sides, the Saudi-UAE alliance and the cease-fire in the coastal city of Hodeidah in western Yemen.

A blow to the hungry
Humanly, the United Nations said the fire at the Red Sea mills in Hodeidah was a blow to millions of hungry people, adding that a fire broke out in two silos as a result of mortar fire.

The military sources reported the outbreak of clashes between Houthis and government forces in Hodeidah on Thursday evening, describing it as the most violent since the ceasefire took effect in the city mid-last month.

The World Food Program (WFP) currently has 51,000 metric tonnes of wheat at the Red Sea Mills, a quarter of the country's wheat stocks, enough to feed three million seven hundred thousand people for a month.

Yemen's humanitarian coordinator, Liz Grande, said wheat was needed at a time when more than 20 million Yemenis were hungry, or 70 percent of the population.

She said the situation was heartbreaking, with a quarter of a million people facing an imminent famine.

WFP Regional Director Steffen Andersen said he was concerned about the impact of some wheat stocks. WFP needed access to the mills to assess the damage, and the transfer of unaffected wheat to areas badly in need.

Timetable
Politically, Yemeni Foreign Minister Khalid al-Yamani called for a timetable for the redeployment of troops in the city of Hodeidah, accusing the Huthis of not complying with the Stockholm agreement, which provided for a ceasefire and the redeployment of government troops and Houthis in the city of Hodeidah.

The Houthis announced late last month to withdraw their gunmen from the port of Hodeidah, but the government said the withdrawal did not happen, as the United Nations then expressed its reservation on the Houthi Declaration.

With the implementation of the Stockholm agreement faltering, two days ago the head of the UN observer team in Hodeidah, retired Dutch general Patrick Camert, announced the selection of a successor to the Danish general, but Farhan Haq, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, said yesterday that Kamert was continuing his duties.