A major prisoner swap between warring sides in Yemen is underway, seen as part of stepped-up efforts to end the devastating eight-year conflict there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said detainees were being flown from the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, to government-held Aden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 900 prisoners are expected to be exchanged over the next three days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The war between rebels and pro-government Saudi-led forces has left tens of thousands of Yemenis dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has also created what the UN has called one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with some 80% of the population forced to rely on food aid to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exchange – the largest since late 2020 – is seen as a confidence-building measure, following talks earlier this week in Sanaa between a Saudi delegation and Houthi rebels aimed at reaching a new and potentially permanent ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The talks were facilitated by Oman, which shares a border with both Saudi Arabia and Yemen and has played a key role in attempts to broker an end to the fighting for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There has been increased momentum towards ending the war since Saudi Arabia and the Houthis resumed direct on-off talks last year. Hopes were furthered when Saudi Arabia and its powerful rival Iran – the Houthis’ main backer – agreed last month to restore relations after a bitter seven-year rift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the failure to renew a UN-brokered six-month ceasefire in October, there has been a sharp decline in fighting, accompanied by some steps to ease tensions. They include the easing of restrictions on imports and prisoner exchanges, agreed in negotiations in Switzerland last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement confirming the releases were underway, the ICRC said it would use its planes to fly the detainees into and out of cities in both Yemen and Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are believed to be thousands of prisoners held by both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“With this act of goodwill, hundreds of families torn apart by conflict are being reunited during the holy month of Ramadan, providing a glimmer of hope amidst great suffering,” said the ICRC’s regional director, Fabrizio Carboni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in 2015, when the Houthis seized control of large parts of the west of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Hadi fled abroad and a Saudi-led alliance of Arab states intervened to restore his rule. However, years of military stalemate have followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fighting has reportedly left more than 150,000 people dead and more than 23 million people – three-quarters of the population – in need of some form of aid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A major prisoner swap between warring sides in Yemen is underway, seen as part of stepped-up efforts to end the devastating eight-year conflict there. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said detainees were being flown from the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, to government-held Aden. About 900 prisoners are expected to be exchanged over the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":478,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[12],"class_list":["post-477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-featured"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n